Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed that he is set to leave the German side at the end of the current season, citing that he is no longer the man to take the club forward. Manchester City will certainly be on alert, with the Premier League holders reportedly looking to replace Manuel Pellegrini during the summer, but will Klopp make the move?
Klopp’s decision comes four days after BVB lost their second consecutive game in the Bundesliga to confine the side to a mid-table position with six games to go. Dortmund are 22 points worse off than at this point last season, having spent the early parts of the campaign rooted to the foot of the table. Players from last summer’s World Cup took time to find their form, and the loss of some key players in the transfer market left Dortmund playing catch-up.
Therefore, Dortmund’s loss could be Manchester City’s gain, as City apparently have the resources to build almost any side the German manager wants, should he make the move to the Etihad in the summer.
Jurgen Klopp’s CV
T-Home Super Cup: (2008)
Bundesliga: (2010/11), (2011/12)
DFB-Pokal: (2011/12)
DFL-Supercup: (2013), (2014)
UEFA Champions League runner–up: (2012/13)
German Football Manager of the Year: (2011), (2012)
FIFA World Coach of the Year Second place : 2013
Manchester City have put in a woeful campaign and have lost their Premier League title, meaning they are on course for a trophy-less campaign. They won the league and Capital One Cup double in 2013/14, yet this season they have failed on all possible fronts in their bid to add to their trophy cabinet. With manager Manuel Pellegrini failing to bring any silverware this season, the City hierarchy will likely take a close look at Klopp’s availability.
They are desperate to become a mainstay in the title race for years to come, and Klopp is a manager who achieved great success with Dortmund. Klopp not only kept Borussia competitive in the Bundesliga, but also went as far as challenging Bayern Munich’s supremacy despite the gap in wealth in favor of the Bavarian side. With Dortmund, Klopp won the Bundesliga and more notably reached the final of the Champions League, a competition the City ownership has been keeping a close eye on for the past couple of years.
Pellegrini enjoyed a successful debut campaign, but things have considerably fallen apart since, and it does appear as if the current City manager is unable to get the best out of his squad at this stage. A separation might be the best remedy for City’s problems.
On the other side, Dortmund have taken a step back this season, which is why the 47-year-old wants a change of scenery, but Klopp is aware that City are not exactly in the best shape either. There is a lot of work that needs to be done in Manchester, but City do have a bigger budget than Dortmund and they have a number of quality players in the squad.
Any manager with the experience and pedigree would be interested in the challenge of taking over at City, and in the case of Klopp it could be the ideal start of a new chapter of his managerial career.
If Klopp does indeed take over at the Etihad, then it would not be a shock if he does bring the likes of Marco Reus with him too. There might be a number of big job vacancies this summer depending on how the European season ends, but if City come knocking on his door, will Klopp take over from Pellegrini?
