Jurgen Klopp has revealed FSG did not try to change his mind about leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.
FSG bought the Reds in 2010, before appointing Klopp as manager five years later, helping the German to totally turn the club around. Klopp led Liverpool to winning the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup.
But he has now opted to bring an end to his nine year spell as boss at Anfield, with a departure date set for the end of the current campaign. Klopp revealed that he informed owners FSG of his decision back in November. And despite his transformative time as manager, the Americans did not attempt to change his mind. Instead, they accepted his decision, though were left unhappy that he had decided to depart.
"They didn’t smash a party! We developed a really good relationship over the years, but I explained it and they know me now for so long that they know I don’t say these kind of things and leave a little bit of the door open, ‘Come on, try to convince me’," Klopp told Liverpool's website.
"As I said, we’ve known each for so long and that good. That was clear and they accepted, they just accepted it. Nobody was really happy. The few people I have told so far, who I told so far, were not really happy. I am not happy with it, I just know it’s right.
Premier League odds and betting tips"What are the alternative scenarios? What are they? Usually as a manager you get the sack. You have a bad spell before – five, six, seven weeks – and everybody is relieved when you part ways. I’m not sure what’s the other one… you get ill and you have to stop.
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"And unfortunately, or fortunately, I have to do it like that. I don’t like that we have to make that fuss of myself, I don’t consider myself as that important but I know that the outside world sees that slightly different. That’s why we do that."
Though he will be leaving come the summer, Klopp has insisted his mind remains fully on helping the club to be a success in his final months in charge. He asked for supporters to accept his decision in the same way as the club's owners.
"Doing a press conference, doing an official announcement is a rare thing to do in that situation; we just want to make sure that everybody who is with us gets informed in the best possible way," he added.
"But after this I’m completely in the Norwich game, I’m completely in the Chelsea game, in the Arsenal game, whatever game is coming up. I’m completely in that. There is no need for any farewell parties now, there is a long season to go.
"I want to be 100 per cent in it, and I am. I am. Nobody has to worry about my mindset. It would be really cool if you just could accept my decision as a difficult one but the right one. That’s it. Because as much as I love everything, I still think it’s the right one – that could show you it is probably the right one."