Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has revealed Jurgen Klopp agreed to become the club’s manager in 2008 but the Bundesliga champions appointed Jurgen Klinsmann instead.
Klopp will come up against Bayern for the first time since leaving Borussia Dortmund when Liverpool welcome the Germans giants to Anfield in the Champions League next week.
How did things turn out for Klopp and Bayern? Five key things to know…
- After allegedly turning Bayern down in 2008, Klopp won two Bundesliga titles and a German Cup with Borussia Dortmund.
- His Dortmund team then lost in the Champions League final against Jupp Heynckes’ treble-winning Bayern side in 2012/13.
- Klinsmann lasted just one year as Bayern manager and failed to win any trophies.
- But the Bavarians have won seven-successive Bundesliga titles since Dortmund’s last.
- Klopp is yet to win any silverware with Liverpool but the Reds are currently level on points with Premier League leaders Manchester City.
Klopp managed Mainz 05 in Germany for seven years before agreeing to take over at Dortmund in May 2008.
But Hoeness has now revealed an agreement was in place for Klopp to become Bayern’s new coach before he joined Dortmund.
“Personally, I have a high opinion of Jurgen Klopp,” Hoeness told reporters.
“Many years ago we agreed on a collaboration together, but we ended up signing Jurgen Klinsmann instead.
“There I showed I respect him and his work a lot. It’s going to be a tough task for both sides. I hope we’ll come out on top.”
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Did Klopp make the right decision?
It’s unclear why negotiations between Klopp and Bayern broke down. Perhaps Klopp didn’t feel he was ready or Bayern thought they needed a bigger name in charge.
If Klopp did turn down Bayern, though, it’s difficult to conclude whether he made the correct decision.
It’s likely he would have led Bayern to silverware, although the reputation he gained at Dortmund was based on the surprise nature of the club’s success.
Trophies are an expectation at Bayern, so if Klopp had failed to win anything in his first season – like Klinsmann – he may have been out of a job almost immediately.
The post Klopp still commands respect at Bayern despite U-turn on past ‘agreement’ appeared first on Squawka News.
From Squawka News http://bit.ly/2DJwY1C
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