Guardian: Calls for Klopp to come back overlook an important truth about Liverpool
Liverpool’s struggles have become so severe that debates about the club’s managerial structure have resurfaced—at a time when such distractions are least welcome.
According to The Guardian’s Andy Hunter, growing calls for Jurgen Klopp to return fail to acknowledge the reality of Liverpool’s current setup, especially since Arne Slot was hired strictly as a head coach rather than a manager with full control.
Hunter labels this downturn “unprecedented,” even compared to the turbulent 2014 season, but also notes that Klopp left behind a club with renewed financial strength, status and appeal. He points out that Liverpool can now shop at the top end of the market—far removed from the days of losing Luis Suárez and replacing him with Mario Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and Lazar Markovic.
Liverpool’s structure makes a Klopp return unlikely
The key point Hunter stresses is how drastically the club’s hierarchy has evolved.
Liverpool’s recruitment is now led by Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, with Slot contributing but without overarching authority. The piece highlights that this must be considered as some fans grow louder in their calls for Klopp’s comeback—because FSG have no intention of returning to a model where one manager controls multiple departments.
Hunter even argues that Edwards likely wouldn’t have returned in March 2024 if such a structure had been reinstated.
Klopp has teased the possibility of managing in England again one day, saying, “If – then it’s Liverpool… theoretically, it’s possible,” giving supporters hope even if a return still feels distant.
Why Liverpool must focus on the present, not the past
Liverpool’s league position—12th with just 18 points—and a damaging Champions League collapse to PSV have accelerated conversations about the manager. Nine defeats in twelve games have placed huge pressure on Slot.
Jamie Carragher has warned that anything less than seven points from this week’s fixtures would make an already bleak situation “untenable.”
But Hunter concludes that any talk of replacements would require Hughes or Edwards to leave or fully endorse a massive structural reversal—and neither scenario looks realistic.
Klopp has shown little enthusiasm for returning, the club’s current hierarchy works against such a move, and the entire model is built on not centralising power in one man again.
For now, Liverpool are backing Arne Slot to pull the team out of this slump and rediscover the standards that made them champions only months ago.
The priority must be stabilising the present—not chasing emotional reunions—because the only path forward is to start winning games consistently again.
