Jurgen Klopp rejects 'audacious' approach from West Ham to keep Manchester City and Liverpool options open
Klopp will leave Borussia Dortmund in the summer and will be the most sought-after manager of the summer
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Jürgen Klopp has rejected an approach from Premier League side West Ham to become their new manager next season, with Sam Allardyce edging closer to the Upton Park exit each day.
Allardyce is out of contract at the end of the season, and with no new deal offered to prolong his stay at the east London club, it appears he will be out of a job come the summer.
According to The Mirror, West Ham’s hierarchy made an audacious approach to try and lure Klopp to Upton Park next season, given that he has announced his resignation as Borussia Dortmund head coach and will leave the Bundesliga club at the end of the season.
The Hammers will relocate to the Olympic Stadium in 2016, and the hope was to install Klopp as manager in order to lead the club to a new era that they hope will bring significant success. Klopp’s calibre remains unquestioned despite Dortmund’s poor form this season, given his back-to-back Bundesliga triumphs and Champions League final appearance with the club in recent years.
47-year-old Klopp has been linked with replacing Manuel Pellegrini at Manchester City, although the Chilean insists his job is safe at the Etihad as long as the finish in the top-four, while Liverpool's Brendan Rodgers has also found his job called into question following the FA Cup final exit last weekend.
Unfortunately for Allardyce, to failure to land Klopp doesn’t appear to have had any impact on his future prospects, with a run of one victory from their last 11 games reportedly convincing the club’s co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan to make a change of manager for next season.
The club’s poor form has seen them slip down the table and the worry is that the players have stopped playing for Allardyce despite a large financial incentive – believed to be £300,000 per league position – on offer for the squad as a reward for their Premier League finish.
Having impressed throughout the first half of the season, Stewart Downing has suffered a dip in form having been shifted out of the central role that he excelled in early on, while striker Nene, brought in to replace the injured Andy Carroll, has already grown frustrated with not being handed a single start despite the injury suffered by first-choice forward Diafra Sakho.
With Allardyce facing the inevitable exit, West Ham remain determined to bring a big name to the Upton Park dug-out for one last season, with the likes of Napoli manager Rafael Benitez, former Manchester United boss David Moyes and Marseille’s Marcelo Bielsa all linked with a move to the capital.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments