"I think it's impossible." That's Vladimir Smicer's verdict on whether Liverpool could turn down Jurgen Klopp if he ever came knocking again — and with pressure quietly building on Arne Slot, the idea doesn't feel as distant as it did a year ago.
Smicer played alongside Klopp's former players in last Saturday's 2-2 legends draw between LFC Foundation and Borussia Dortmund Legends at Anfield. He watched from close quarters as Klopp — serving as assistant to Kenny Dalglish for the day — pulled the crowd in the way only he can. "Because of him, the stadium was full," Smicer noted. That says everything about the pull the German still has on Merseyside.
A relationship that doesn't just disappear
Klopp spent nine years in the Liverpool dugout before stepping away in 2024, citing exhaustion after a relentless run that delivered the club's first league title in 30 years. He hasn't been idle since — he's now Head of Global Soccer within the Red Bull hierarchy. That's a serious role, not a sabbatical.
He's also been careful not to feed the speculation. Last month he played the return talk down publicly. But Klopp turning up at Anfield and filling the ground for a legends match doesn't exactly quieten the conversation.
Smicer was direct: "If you ask anyone in Liverpool if Jurgen Klopp should come back one day, everyone will say yes, of course. He has something special with the Liverpool fans, the city, and the football club. I think if he wants to return, it will be difficult to turn him down. Actually, I think it's impossible."
What this means beyond the nostalgia
The timing of these whispers matters. Slot has had a difficult spell, and any wobble in results tends to resurrect the Klopp conversation at Anfield. Whether that's fair on Slot is a separate debate — but it does mean Liverpool's managerial picture carries more uncertainty than the club would like to admit. That uncertainty is worth factoring in if you're looking at long-term title markets.
Klopp himself, for what it's worth, kept things warm but non-committal after the legends match: "Enjoyed every second... it was really, really, really nice."
Not a goodbye. Not a promise. Just enough to keep everyone wondering.
