Jurgen Klopp was aware of the awkward timing of his return to the Liverpool dugout for last weekend’s Legends charity match with the pressure on Arne Slot.
Klopp was back at Anfield last Saturday as assistant to Sir Kenny Dalglish for Liverpool Legends’ 2-2 draw with Dortmund in aid of the LFC Foundation.
It brought a feel-good moment to Merseyside at an otherwise turbulent time for the club, with first-team head coach Slot facing calls to be sacked.
The sight of Klopp’s beaming smile and post-match fist-pumps conjured fond memories of one of Liverpool’s most beloved and, crucially, successful managers when doubts over his successor are at their highest.
Speaking at an LFC Foundation fundraiser prior to the Legends match, Klopp admitted that he “didn’t want to show his face” due the current situation.
“It’s nice to be back. It doesn’t happen often enough to be 100 percent honest,” he told those in attendance, including The Athletic‘s James Pearce who commented on the ‘awkward timing’.
“First, it was going so good [for Liverpool under Slot] and I didn’t want to jinx it.
“Then it’s going not so good and I didn’t want to show my face. But I had to because I committed to this so long ago.”
FSG remain “fully supportive” of Arne Slot
Though there is no genuine speculation over Klopp returning to Liverpool in a full-time capacity, there remains a clamour for Slot to be replaced, with former midfielder Xabi Alonso the most popular candidate among supporters.
However Pearce has echoed reports from the Times‘ Paul Joyce this week in writing that those inside the club believe links with Alonso are based on “false assumptions.”
Liverpool and owners Fenway Sports Group have instead maintained their “full support” of Slot, as they are of the belief he has been “dealt a difficult hand.”
“FSG does not want to rip things up and start again this summer,” Pearce writes.
“Senior club figures have distanced themselves from suggestions that Slot is effectively on trial between now and the end of the season.”
But Pearce did add: “FSG intends to stick to the plan but the reality is that resolve will be tested by what happens on the field in the coming weeks.”
Klopp has now returned to his day job as head of global soccer for Red Bull, a position he has held since January 2025 and remains committed to until at least summer 2029.
