Jurgen Klopp gave a swift and firm answer to a reporter’s question as to whether Michael Edwards has tried to persuade the manager to reverse his decision to leave Liverpool at the end of this season.
The 56-year-old will step aside in May, and he’s insisted that the newly-installed CEO of Football at Anfield hasn’t gone on the charm offensive to try and get him to change his mind.
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The German described the hiring of the 44-year-old to that new role as a ‘top solution‘, with the Reds’ former sporting director earning a glowing reputation during his previous stint with the club.
However, Klopp was adamant that Edwards hasn’t been in his ear about reversing his decision to move on from Liverpool, saying (via Liverpool Echo): “No, because he’s not dumb. It was not a subject to talk about. Can you imagine if I changed my mind now? I don’t say these things without thinking.”
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Even though Edwards performed a U-turn on his original refusal to return to Liverpool, following FSG’s initial approach at the end of January, it’s difficult to see Klopp pulling off such a dramatic volte-face.
In announcing his intentions to leave Anfield at the season’s end, the German attributed his decision to ‘running out of energy’, which isn’t surprising when he’s worked virtually non-stop in management since 2001.
Also, as highlighted in a report by The Athletic, the 56-year-old’s impending departure was actually a significant factor in Edwards agreeing to return to LFC, as there had been moments of ‘friction’ between the pair previously when both were adamant that they should have the final say over matters such as player contracts and the retention of training ground staff.
Whoever takes over from Klopp won’t exhibit the same level of influence behind the scenes, certainly not initially at least.
As much as we’d all love for the German to serve up another plot twist and tell us that he isn’t ready to leave Liverpool just yet, it’s nearly impossible to realistically envisage that scenario materialising over the coming weeks.