Jürgen Klopp has pushed back against rumors linking him to the Real Madrid job as a potential replacement for Xabi Alonso, who was dismissed on Monday.
The German coach—now serving as Red Bull’s global director of football—made it clear once again that the speculation doesn’t faze him and that he has no intention of returning to the sidelines anytime soon.
“This has nothing to do with me, and it doesn’t affect me at all,” Klopp told Austria’s Servus TV, downplaying the long‑running chatter that has tied his name to the Santiago Bernabéu.
Klopp happy where he is
Klopp emphasized that he’s genuinely content with his current role, far removed from the daily grind and pressures of coaching. “Coaching jobs are always changing, and it’s nice to watch from the outside without worrying about what it might mean for you personally. Where I am right now is exactly where I should be,” he said, effectively shutting the door on any short‑term return to management.
Beyond his own situation, Klopp expressed sympathy for Alonso, who was fired just six months after taking over at Real Madrid following a wildly successful run at Bayer Leverkusen. “It’s a sign that things aren’t completely right there if Xabi Alonso—who showed for more than two years in Leverkusen what an extraordinary coaching talent he is—has to leave Real Madrid after only six months,” the ex-Liverpool boss noted.
He went on to add, “When you take over from a legendary coach like Carlo Ancelotti, who had a very clear way of leading his team, it’s incredibly difficult to come in and change things. That’s what made the situation too complicated for Xabi Alonso. I genuinely feel for him because I think he’s a fantastic coach.”
Klopp wasn’t the only prominent German voice reacting to the news. Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund also expressed surprise at Madrid’s decision. “I was really shocked. Xabi is an exceptionally good coach. He did an outstanding job in Leverkusen,” Freund told Sky. “I don’t have inside knowledge of what’s happening in Madrid, and it’s not my place to judge, but it’s a bit crazy for things to change so quickly. Soccer can be a whirlwind sometimes.”