Liverpool Superstar Reveals United’s Ridiculous Approach To Sign Him
REUTERS/Phil Noble
Jürgen Klopp has revealed how United chief Ed Woodward made a ridiculously audacious attempt to convince him to become the Red Devils’ manager in his new autobiography ‘Bring The Noise’.
United were in the slumps following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, as his successor, David Moyes, led the then champions to their worst ever finish in the Premier League – a lowly 7th. The former Everton boss was sacked in April after just 10 months at the helm, and the search for a new boss began.
Several reports came out suggesting a move for Jose Mourinho – who is currently in charge – but the Red Devils were actually very eager to secure a move for Klopp, who was Borussia Dortmund’s manager at the time. However, the German was unimpressed by Woodward’s proposition, claiming it was ‘unsexy’.
United’s executive vice-chairman told Klopp that Old Trafford was like “an adult version of Disneyland, a mythical place where the entertainment was world class and dreams came true”.
Despite the odd pitch thrown at him, Klopp actually considered the job, and was torn between his love for Dortmund, and the prospect of moving to the biggest club in England and one of the biggest in the world. This delirium led to him meeting with the German club’s CEO, Hans-Joachim Watzke, twice, to discuss his future.
In the end, Klopp decided to stay put, and informed his boss of his decision. Watzke spoke about the incident by revealing: “We first met in my kitchen. It was an interesting talk. I think it made a difference because he said to me on the plane that we needed to talk again in the evening.
“I was due to have dinner with my daughter, who lived in Munich, so I could only see him at 10pm. He straightaway said: ‘I can’t deal with this pressure any more. I’ve turned them down’.”
Just a year later though, Klopp was submitting his letter of recognition as a move to Liverpool beckoned. United went for Louis van Gaal instead, and the Dutchman was sacked just two seasons later, having won the FA Cup in his final season.
LVG’s successor, Jose Mourinho, led the Old Trafford outfit to League Cup and Europa League titles during the previous campaign. On the other hand, Klopp is still at Liverpool, but hasn’t won a title yet. Guess you don’t have to be ‘sexy’ to win trophies after all.
Manchester United fan, Wayne Rooney is his role model. Passionate writer who has written for several sites in the past. He’s also an aspiring pianist and creates background music for BlameFootball’s Youtube channel.