Jürgen Klopp has said that he asked to leave Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season as he "no longer feels he is the perfect coach for the club". The 47-year-old confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that he had asked for his contract to be terminated but insisted that he is not tired and that he is not planning on having a sabbatical.

In a very emotional press conference, with Klopp, the Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, and the club’s sporting director, Michael Zorc, Klopp denied that he was quitting because of the poor results this season but rather because he felt that both club and he needed to move on.

After Watzke had started by saying that this press conference was something they at the club had wished they would never have to do, Klopp said: “First of all, no one has to thank me. Both [me and the club] have given a lot and we have received a lot. But I have always said that the day I feel that I am no longer the perfect coach for this extraordinary club I will say that.

“That is something I have thought about in every phase here at Dortmund and decided in the last few weeks, days, that I was no longer able to be absolutely sure about that. And then, because of the unusual relationship I have with this club, the trust we have for each other, it was my duty to tell the club.”

Klopp added that he was not suffering from exhaustion and that he would now use the rest of the season to ensure that Borussia finish as high up in the table as possible. They are currently 10th. “I am not tired. I may look tired but I am not. I am 0.0% tired. I haven’t had any contact with any other clubs but am not planning a sabbatical. I haven’t planned any of this [TO QUIT]but it was just right that we announced this today so that the club can plan ahead.

“I will miss every single person here and that feeling will only grow with time.”

Guardian Services