Jurgen Klopp receives surprise F1 job offer as ex-Liverpool boss starts new role | F1 | Sport

Jurgen Klopp has been given the chance to get up close and personal with Formula One ahead of his new role as Red Bull‘s global head of soccer next month. Helmut Marko, Red Bull motorsport advisor, confessed he would ‘love’ to introduce Klopp to the team that is home to world champion Max Verstappen.

In an interview with RTL/ntv and sport. de, Marko hailed the appointment of the ex-Liverpool boss as ‘sensational’.

Klopp will officially start his new position on January 1 and is set to be unveiled at a press conference at the company’s Austrian headquarters in Fuschl am See on January 14. The German coach left Anfield at the end of last season due to exhaustion.

Despite criticism, the former Borussia Dortmund manager will oversee Red Bull‘s network of clubs including Salzburg, New York Red Bulls, RB Leipzig and Red Bull Bragantino.

Klopp won’t be involved in the day-to-day operations of clubs but will assist sporting directors to ‘leverage his extensive network to aid in scouting top talent and contribute to the training and development of coaches’.

Marko praised his employers’ ambitions in securing Klopp’s services. “I just don’t know how he wants to combine it all, these different continents and the like,” said the F1 veteran.

“But since football is very important to us, I think that was the best move that could have been made.”

The 57-year-old football manager couldn’t hide his excitement about his new role with Red Bull, which he took up in October. He gushed: “After almost 25 years on the sideline, I could not be more excited to get involved in a project like this.

“The role may have changed but my passion for football and the people who make the game what it is has not.

“By joining Red Bull at a global level, I want to develop, improve and support the incredible football talent that we have at our disposal.

“There are many ways that we can do this from using the elite knowledge and experience that Red Bull possesses to learning from other sports and other industries.

“Together we can discover what is possible. I see my role primarily as a mentor for the coaches and management of the Red Bull clubs but ultimately, I am one part of an organisation that is unique, innovative and forward looking. As I said, this could not excite me more.”