Jurgen Klopp could have the pick of clubs this summer

Outgoing Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp could have his pick of clubs and leagues this summer

On Wednesday it was revealed that Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp was set to leave the German giants at the end of the season after seven years.

The announcement immediately alerted a number of Europe’s top clubs and the rumour mill kicked-in.

Struggle

This season has been a major struggle for BVB. They currently sit tenth in the Bundesliga table, but earlier this season were rock-bottom of the German top-flight and struggling to even pick-up draws.

The inexplicable fall from grace of the former-Bundesliga champions was the talk of European football, as they went from heroes to zeroes in such a short space of time.

A number of issues had caused Dortmund dramatic fall from grace, not least injuries to key players throughout the season. The constant loss of their best players also has not help BVB sustain their challenge to arch-rivals Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga.

The loss of attacking midfielder Mario Gotze and forward Robert Lewandowski to the Bavarians has diluted the quality of BVB’s attacking play. Their replacements have just not been the same standard, so Dortmund was always fighting a losing battle in an attempt at keeping up with the Hoenesses’.

Turnaround

Prior to Jurgen Klopp’s arrival Dortmund were underachieving and not even close to rivalling Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title. Klopp changed that and masterminded successive titles in 2011 and 2012.

Klopp managed this with clever tactics, good signings and a management style that seems to bring the best out of the players in his charge. His attacking, passing style of play helped BVB become one of the most attractive teams to watch in the European game.

Character

Jurgen Klopp is regarded as something of a football student and has won awards for his appearances on German television analysing tactics and team performances. He is considered something of a mercurial character, but that should not take away from his achievements with Dortmund.

Intelligent

The 47-year-old comes across as a very intelligent guy, who has a good sense of humour and humility. The fact that he helped Dortmund to two Bundesliga titles and a Champions League final shows that he can walk the walk, as well as talking the talk.

In-demand

Klopp’s achievements with BVB have made him one of the most in-demand bosses in world football. For seasons he has been linked with a move away from Dortmund and this summer he will finally make that move.

Despite this season’s poor campaign, Klopp is still regarded as one of the best coaches in European football. Clubs seem to be queuing up to have the former-Mainz man in charge of their team.

On the announcement of his Dortmund departure Klopp was immediately installed as the favourite to be the next Manchester City boss at odds of 10/11, despite the fact that Chilean Manuel Pellegrini is still in charge at the Etihad Stadium.

Klopp has now also been linked with Italian clubs AC Milan and Napoli, who also both currently already have bosses. Spanish giants Real Madrid is also mooted as a potential destination for the charismatic boss.

Top Level

The highly-rated Dortmund boss is likely to have a high number of options available to him this summer. One bad season does not make a bad boss. Not many people will remember this season, especially club owners who are desperate for a knight in white armour to come and rescue their club.

Klopp has proven in his seven years in charge of Dortmund that he has the managerial acumen to manage at the top level. He managed to get the better of Bayern Munich, who had far big and better resources than the club from the Ruhr.

The only way Bayern could stop them in the end was to buy their best players, which they did in Gotze and Lewandowski. The last few years BVB have not been as successful with their recruitment of players, whether that is down to Klopp or not I am unsure.

Successful

Jurgen Klopp has the managerial skills to manage in any league he wants. If there is anything in the link to Manchester City then I am sure he would do a stellar job at the Etihad Stadium.

It would be fascinating to see if he can get the better of the likes of Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho, Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger and Manchester United’s Louis van Gaal, if indeed he does end up at City.

For now Klopp claims he is focussing on Dortmund, but this summer the world seems to be Jurgen Klopp’s oyster and I am pretty sure that wherever he ends up he will be successful in the future.

Where will Jurgen Klopp be managing next season?