Jurgen Klopp's Return to Management: What RB Leipzig Gets From Its New Head of Football

Jurgen Klopp ended his 18-month sabbatical from football in November 2024 by joining Red Bull's multi-club group as Head of Global Soccer. In March 2026, after nearly 17 months in an oversight role, the 58-year-old former Liverpool manager has taken additional responsibility as RB Leipzig's interim head coach following the dismissal of Marco Rose. The appointment is contracted to run through the end of the 2025-26 season.

Klopp's return to the touchline ends speculation that the Bundesliga pioneer — winner of two German titles with Borussia Dortmund and one Premier League title with Liverpool — would restrict himself to executive duties. RB Leipzig sits sixth in the Bundesliga with 42 points, 15 points behind leaders Bayern Munich and on the cusp of missing Champions League qualification for the first time since 2017.

The Head of Global Soccer Role

Klopp's Red Bull contract, signed in October 2024, covers the entire Red Bull multi-club network: RB Leipzig in Germany, Red Bull Salzburg in Austria, Red Bull Bragantino in Brazil, and the New York Red Bulls in MLS. His responsibilities have included coach recruitment, player pathway decisions and the strategic coordination of the four clubs' scouting and training systems.

The position was created after RB Leipzig's disappointing 2023-24 season, when the club fell to fourth despite a €200 million squad. Oliver Mintzlaff, Red Bull's global head of sport, said at the time of Klopp's appointment that the group needed "a unifying football brain" across its clubs.

The Interim Coaching Role

Marco Rose's dismissal followed RB Leipzig's 4-0 home loss to Union Berlin on February 27, a result that saw the Red Bull Arena's attendance fall below 35,000 for the first time in three years. Klopp, who was in Leipzig for a strategic-planning meeting on the day of the match, moved into the dugout for training on March 2.

"This is temporary," Klopp told reporters at his introductory press conference. "I will not be the long-term head coach. But the team needed clarity, and I can provide that for three months." His interim contract runs through the final Bundesliga match on May 16.

Tactical Adjustments Under Klopp

Klopp's first training sessions focused on restoring the high-pressing intensity that characterized RB Leipzig's pre-2023 identity under Julian Nagelsmann. The team's PPDA — passes allowed per defensive action — had risen to 12.8 under Rose, ranking 14th in the Bundesliga. Klopp told the squad in his first meeting that the target would be 8.5, which would rank among the top three.

The shift has personnel implications. Striker Timo Werner, who returned to the club from Chelsea in a loan-with-buy deal in January, figures prominently in Klopp's pressing scheme. Werner played under Klopp's principles at Liverpool during the 2020-21 season and has spoken publicly about his preference for Klopp's "gegenpress."

The Search for a Permanent Replacement

Klopp has been tasked with identifying his successor during his interim tenure. Names linked publicly include former Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso, current RB Salzburg head coach Pepijn Lijnders (a former Klopp assistant at Liverpool), and former Borussia Monchengladbach coach Gerardo Seoane. Alonso remains contracted to Real Madrid through 2027.

Lijnders, 43, has emerged as the internal favorite. The Dutch coach led RB Salzburg to the Austrian Bundesliga title in 2024-25 and is the only current Red Bull coach with existing alignment to Klopp's playing principles. His contract at Salzburg contains a release clause that would make him available for Leipzig.

Klopp's Future After May

Klopp has publicly denied any intention to return to full-time coaching. In a February interview with Der Spiegel, he said: "I will coach friends' teams in charity matches and I will help Leipzig now because Red Bull needed it. But full-time head coaching is finished for me." Klopp's Red Bull contract runs through 2028.

Whether the interim role at Leipzig will rekindle his interest remains the most-discussed question within German football media. Klopp's agent Marc Kosicke told Sky Sports that "everything stays the same after May 16 unless Jurgen himself changes his mind," though Kosicke added: "He has surprised us before."

Results to Date and What Comes Next

Klopp has overseen four matches in charge, winning three and drawing one. The team scored 11 goals in those four matches, more than in any four-match stretch in the first half of the season. The next test is a DFB-Pokal quarterfinal away at Bayer Leverkusen on March 18 — a fixture that would put Leipzig into its first domestic cup semifinal since 2022 if it wins.

Champions League qualification for 2026-27 remains in reach but not guaranteed. Leipzig sit six points behind fourth-place Eintracht Frankfurt with nine matches remaining. Klopp told the club's media channel that qualification "would be the target" but added: "It cannot be the measure of success. We have to rebuild, and rebuilding takes longer than one season."