Jurgen Klopp turns down invitation for Liverpool return as Arne Slot explains exchange

Jurgen Klopp turns down invitation for Liverpool return as Arne Slot explains exchange

Arne Slot has revealed that Jurgen Klopp rejected an invite to attend Liverpool's clashes with Real Madrid and Man City late last year

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and his successor Arne Slot (Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images )

Arne Slot has revealed that Jurgen Klopp has already rejected one invitation to return to Anfield to watch a Liverpool match. The German stepped down as Reds manager last summer following a trophy-laden nine years with the club.

He has since joined the Red Bull group as Head of Global Football, and started in his new role on January 1.

‌

Liverpool have thrived under Slot since he succeeded Klopp, with the Reds currently eight points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table, through to the Champions League round-of-16 against Paris Saint-Germain, and preparing for a League Cup final clash with Newcastle United next month.

Mohamed Salah has just changed his tune about Liverpool future as contract uncertainty continues READ MORE:

Should they beat reigning champions Man City on Sunday, Liverpool will extend their lead at the top of the table to an eye-catching 11 points with 11 games left to play, - albeit having played a game more than the Gunners - having lost just once in the English top-flight all season.

And ahead of his side’s trip to the Etihad, Slot revealed he actually invited Klopp back to Anfield to attend the corresponding fixture back at the start of December.

‌

"I wouldn't mind him coming,” he said. “I invited him, I think, to the City and Real games, but he told me he has a job and is somewhere else in the world.

"He can be here every single time he wants to come - either to the training ground or the games. He is more than welcome.

"But at this moment he had a job to do and in the first half of the season he had a job to do with his wife, enjoying life. For me, he is always welcome."

‌

City were Liverpool’s main rivals during Klopp’s time at Anfield, winning six Premier League titles with the German the last manager to stop Pep Guardiola’s side from being crowned champions back in 2019/20.

However, City currently find themselves in transition and have long since waved the white flag in the Premier League title-race. Ahead of hosting the Reds, they trail their old foes by 17 points.

City parted with a club-record £180m in January as they signed Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico Gonzalez in an attempt to bolster their ranks and close the gap at the top of the table.

‌

But Slot is not concerned by City’s spending ahead of Liverpool’s trip to the Etihad.

"That's not a question for me,” he replied when asked if Guardiola’s great Man City side was not at the end of its cycle. “The only thing I can see is that in the summer they lost (Julian) Alvarez and only brought Savinho in - so they had a similar summer to us.

"They have adjusted in the winter because they've probably, I assume, felt like they needed that. That's what it is. I don't know the reasons behind bringing four players in."

‌

Meanwhile, while Liverpool have a long-running rivalry with City in recent years, Slot pointed out that he too boasts a ‘new team’ with only a handful of his players a part of the Reds squad that won the Premier League title in 2020.

"I think this is quite a new team, to be honest,” he said. “I think only a few of them, maybe five or six, were in this rivalry and competition with City.

"For a large part, these players were brought in last season or are younger players who have come through the ranks of the academy.

‌

"So there are a few who have experienced this (losing out to City), but for most of them this is a new situation. They have never lost the league because they have only just come in.

"So you can look at it both ways. You can see that some players who are here have already won the league and were in competition with City and have experienced a lot, while the others have less experience but don't have that disappointment of losing it a few times.

"But I don't think in the last two seasons we have lost to City because the competition was between Arsenal and City. We are talking about three years ago - and three years in football is quite a long time."

Article continues below

Meanwhile, Slot insists that he is paying little attention to the case against City as they face 115 charges of alleged Premier League financial rule breaches, with the outcome of the hearing expected next month.

"That isn't part of my time over here,” he said. “I don't follow the case because it doesn't impact this season. I sometimes see the headlines, but I don't follow it."

Click here to read article