Liverpool
Klopp on Turning Down Manchester United and His Current Outlook
Klopp says he rejected United in 2013 because of timing and that their project was not his. Plainly.
Jürgen Klopp has explained why he rejected Manchester United’s interest in 2013 and outlined why a return to the dugout is not imminent. He said United approached him in the year Sir Alex retired, but at that moment he was committed to Borussia Dortmund.
“In the year when Sir Alex retired, they spoke to me. Of course, they were interested at one point. At that time, I would have been interested. I was young, I had a sensational team at Dortmund,” Klopp said on The Diary of a CEO podcast. “It was wrong time, wrong moment. I had a contract at Dortmund and wouldn’t have left for anybody. They wanted a new manager and I was one of a few options I think.”
Klopp also described his reaction to discussions with United executives and why the project did not appeal to him. “There are some reasons, but the people in that conversation told me [things] I didn’t like. United was that big, ‘We get all the players we want, we get him, we get him,’ and I was sitting there… It was not my project. It was the wrong time, but on top of that it was not my project.
“The idea is we bring all the best players together and let’s go,” Klopp said before being asked if the Man Utd project at the time was about just football. “No, not at all (about football), and I sat there [and thought] it was not for me,” he said, later citing his conversation with Liverpool’s Mike Gordon and how their interest was centred around a “pure football project.”
On his own future, Klopp made clear he is not rushing back to coaching. “I love what I do right now. I don’t miss coaching. I mean I do coach [now], but just different, not players. I don’t miss it. I don’t miss standing in the rain, two-and-a-half, three hours, and I don’t miss going to press conferences three times a week, having 10, 12 interviews a week. I don’t miss that, I don’t.
“So, I don’t miss being in the dressing room in the sense of I didn’t have it often enough. I coached 1,080-something games, so I was in a dressing room very, very often and I don’t want to die in a dressing room because it’s so nice… it smells! It’s these kind of things,” Klopp said. “But there might be something. I’m 58, that’s from your perspective old, from the other side it’s not that old. That means I could make the decision in a few years. I don’t know. Do I have to make the decision today? I will not coach again, but thank God I don’t have to do that. I can just see what [the] future brings.”
Klopp has said any Premier League return would be to manage Liverpool. His successor, Arne Slot, signed a three-year contract due to end in the summer of 2027, and despite early season struggles this campaign Slot still won the league in his first year. Klopp was linked with other roles after leaving Liverpool but ruled himself out of those openings, leaving his return dependent on time and the right circumstances.
Brentford
Referee Injury and VAR Review Prolong Second Half at Gtech Community Stadium
Referee injury delayed the second half; VAR review produced a penalty that restored Brentford’s lead.
A referee injury and a subsequent VAR intervention extended the second half of the Premier League meeting at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday. The match was held up after the break when the original official, who had been booed off the pitch to end the first half, did not continue. Robinson came out to resume play amid audible discontent from some spectators.
The first half itself had run longer than the minimum added time. A minimum of three minutes had been signalled, but the interval ended with nearly five additional minutes. That extra time allowed Milos Kerkez to cut Liverpool’s deficit in half before the interval.
Play was halted again about 15 minutes into the second half when VAR reviewed an incident on the edge of the Liverpool penalty area. Dango Ouattara was fouled by Virgil van Dijk on the edge of the box and the decision on the pitch was initially a free kick for the hosts. Stockley Park then directed play to be stopped while the incident was scrutinised.
Following the review, officials judged the contact to have occurred on the line and awarded a penalty. Igor Thiago converted from the spot, beating Giorgi Mamardashvili and restoring the two goal lead for the hosts.
Liverpool had arrived at the fixture having snapped a four-game losing run with an emphatic midweek result against Eintracht Frankfurt. Despite that boost, they found themselves two goals down in the first half through strikes from Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade. Milos Kerkez’s late first-half effort reduced the margin, but the penalty early in the second half moved the hosts back to a two-goal advantage and overshadowed Kerkez’s contribution before the interval.
The match was defined as much by the interruptions and VAR process as by the goals, with the referee situation and the subsequent review shaping the opening stages after the break.
Analytics & Stats
Slot: Why Salah’s 2025/26 Slump May Trace Back to Alexander-Arnold’s Exit
Slot links Alexander-Arnold exit to Salah’s dip in form, urging new connections and goals. this year
Arne Slot has suggested a clear link between Liverpool’s summer changes and Mohamed Salah’s sharp reduction in attacking output this season. Salah arrives at Saturday’s trip to Brentford without a non-penalty goal in any of his previous seven Premier League appearances, the worst run of his Liverpool career, per Opta.
Opponents have openly targeted the winger, sensing he is less likely to track back and that Liverpool are less dangerous in transition. When asked whether the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who left Liverpool for Real Madrid in June, had affected Salah, Slot offered a cautious acknowledgement. “Maybe his whole Liverpool [career] he played with Trent, so it could [be that],” he said. “But he’s been in promising positions often enough to score goals, maybe with Trent even more. But in general, if you have quite a few changes in the summer you have to find new connections. Mo is no exception to this.”
Every key attacking metric for Salah has declined from 2024–25 to 2025–26: goals (0.77 to 0.25), xG (0.68 to 0.30), shots (3.46 to 1.89), shots on target (1.64 to 0.76), touches in the opposition box (10.5 to 6.2), assists (0.48 to 0.25) and chances created (2.37 to 2.02). Stats provided by Opta. Correct as of Oct. 24, 2025.
Last season Alexander-Arnold delivered 147 line-breaking passes to Salah in the Premier League, a total that outstripped any other pairing in the division. Without that supply, Salah has struggled to forge a consistent rapport with a rotating line of right-backs this term.
Slot remains confident in Salah’s quality. “The way he trains, and when we do finishing drills, you cannot lose that,” he insisted. “The only thing is we have to keep bringing him into those positions and he has to bring himself into those positions.
Benchings in Europe have been a recent development. After a limp defeat to Galatasaray at the end of September, Liverpool produced a new-look frontline and romped to a 5–1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt with Cody Gakpo and Florian Wirtz flanking an Ekitiké-Alexander Isak double act. Slot said Salah was unhappy at being left out but viewed that reaction positively. “I hope he is not ever going to take it well, because the moment you are going to take it well then you miss the fire,” he argued.
Brentford
Liverpool seek momentum at Brentford after midweek demolition
Liverpool seek to build on 1-5 midweek win at Brentford while both sides manage injury doubts ahead
Liverpool travel to the Gtech Community Stadium aiming to extend the momentum from their midweek 1–5 win in Germany. The Reds have dropped ground in the Premier League title race and sit four points behind Arsenal; they will be eager to cut that gap to a single point before Arsenal host Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Brentford remain a difficult opponent. The Bees have shown their quality at home this season and have already taken points from Manchester United and Chelsea. They arrive having beaten West Ham United 0–2 on 20/10/25 and produced strong recent form, while summer recruits and a summer overhaul have not dulled their counter-attacking threat.
Injuries have shaped both squads. Brentford lost Antoni Milambo to an ACL injury during the October international break and he will miss the remainder of his debut campaign. Aaron Hickey is set to resume full training this weekend but will not be ready for Saturday; he could return against Crystal Palace next weekend. Gustavo Nunes and Paris Maghoma both featured for Brentford’s B team midweek and are in contention to make the bench. Liverpool will need to keep a close watch on Igor Thiago, who has five goals in eight league games this season.
Liverpool sustained two setbacks in Germany as Jeremie Frimpong suffered a hamstring injury and Alexander Isak was withdrawn with a groin problem. The Dutch full back is “not in a good place’ according to Arne Slot and Isak is a “question mark” for the weekend’s match. Alisson remains sidelined, with Giorgi Mamardashvili set to continue in goal. Ryan Gravenberch missed the win over Frankfurt and remains a doubt, while Giovanni Leoni, Jayden Danns and Stefan Bajčetić are all out long term.
Brentford predicted lineup vs. Liverpool (5-3-2): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, Van den Berg, Ajer, Lewis-Potter; Yarmolyuk, Henderson, Damsgaard; Thiago, Schade.
Liverpool predicted lineup vs. Brentford (4-2-3-1): Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konaté, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitiké.
Television: United Kingdom — TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate, discovery+, discovery+ App. United States — fuboTV, nbcsports.com, NBC Sports App, UNIVERSO NOW, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, USA Network, UNIVERSO TeleXitos. Canada — DAZN, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video. Mexico — Max Mexico, Amazon Prime Video.
Liverpool will hope the demolition in Germany marks a turning point. Brentford’s direct approach and pace on the break will test the Reds’ defence, but Liverpool’s attacking form gives them a strong chance to return to winning ways after more than a month without a league victory.
