A glorious reign at one of Europe's most-loved clubs is over, with Jurgen Klopp having just announced that he is stepping down as manager of Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season.
He has won two league titles, including a double and reached a Champions League final since joining the club in 2008, briefly breaking the dominance of rivals Bayern Munich and establishing a fast, attacking approach to football. In addition, he has become a cult figure in world football with his unique appearance, idiosyncratic English and his own theme song. Despite a disappointing final season - Dortmund sit 10th and flirted with the relegation zone earlier on - he will be much in demand across Europe.
Reports say that he is looking to take time out of the game to spend it with his family, but we've heard all that before and we're not buying it. We take a look at the likely next destination for the German coach.
MANCHESTER CITY
ODDS: 11/10
PROS:
The current bookies' favourite destination is Manchester, which is understandable: current manager Manuel Pellegrini is under huge pressure following a shocking run of six defeats in eight games, as his side have surrendered their Premier League title and may even be in danger of falling out of the Top Four. He looks a dead man walking at the moment, especially with City failing in Europe once again.
CONS:
City seem to be obsessed with following the Barcelona vision of a holistic footballing approach, particularly given that they installed Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain from the Catalan club as Chief Executive and Director Of Football. Therefore, the one man they really want is Pep Guardiola, whose contract with Bayern Munich is up at the end of next season. They may well be content to keep Pellegrini for one more year before making their move. And, despite his recent troubles, the Chilean still won the league last year, so he's no mug.
Real Madrid
ODDS: 3/1
PROS:
Real Madrid always want the shiniest new toys - they hardly needed Gareth Bale when they already had Cristiano Ronaldo rampaging through La Liga - and Klopp will be courted by all the big clubs. Pundits believe Carlo Ancelotti will leave at the end of the season after suffering a difficult spell in the middle of the season, when Bale himself received abuse from the fans. If they don't claw back a two point deficit on Barcelona before the end of the season, then even winning the Champions' League again may not be enough.
CONS:
It's hard to believe that Real are considering sacking Ancelotti, given that he finally delivered their elusive 10th European Cup title last year. They're still a wonderful team - and if they win the league, or the Champions League, that could well be enough to placate the fans. They may also feel they want a more experienced man than Klopp - after all, he's never won the Champions League.
Arsenal
ODDS: 4/1
PROS:
Klopp has been linked with the Arsenal job for what seems an enternity. He would be the perfect replacement for Arsene Wenger, who has struggled in recent seasons to compete for the title, or getting past the early knockout stages of the Champions League - albeit consistently achieving Top Four finishes to access the riches available in that competition. Piers Morgan would probably be the happiest man in the world if Klopp rode in to replace Wenger, and six months ago, virtually all Arsenal fans would have felt the same.
CONS:
Those six months, however, have seen progression to the FA Cup semi-final, and a sensational run of eight straight league wins - so good that they can now be considered genuine title challengers to Chelsea, albeit distinct outsiders. They have fared much better this season against the top teams - Wenger's achilles heel for many years previously - and there's every chance that the Frenchman has finally rediscovered that combination of style and steel. Plus, there is no doubt that the club's hierarchy fully support their man. Klopp may have left it too late if this was the job he really wanted.
Liverpool
ODDS: 5/1
PROS:
Liverpool struggled badly at the start of the season, and went out of the Champions League in the group stages, despite a relatively easy group. They will desperately want to get back into the Top Four - which is looking unlikely - and begin to consistently appear in the Champions League. Klopp has experience of overturning established domestic dominance and has a Champions League Final appearance to his name.
CONS:
Despite that early start, Brendan Rodgers turned it around impressively, with Liverpool currently lying 6th. He also came within a whisker of securing the club's first league title since 1990 last year. He plays stylish football, is much admired himself around Europe; Liverpool may well feel they owe him some slack and, furthermore, are still on the right road to success. Klopp may also consider that he is worthy of a bigger club.
Barcelona
ODDS: 10/1
PROS:
Such is the cut-throat nature of Spanish football that one of the coaches of the dominant top two is almost bound to lose their job each season. Luis Enrique initially struggled with the demand of managing the club and there were early reports of player unrest. If he fails to take the title, he could find himself under pressure, with Klopp perfectly poised to ride in and replace him.
CONS:
Barcelona currently lead La Liga by two points - if they hold on, then Enrique will feel that he has done his job. In addition, there is little appetite for constant change at the club, with Guardiola setting a precedent - Klopp's style is different to Barca's treasured tiki-taka and it may be a step too far to bring in the German.
(Images: Rex/Getty)
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