Former Liverpool boss Klopp is behind the scenes! Pep Lijnders switches sides to become Pep Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City.
On 2 Feb 2026 GMT+7, Pep Lijnders shared a humorous conversation with Jürgen Klopp, admitting the former Liverpool manager once jokingly said that if Lijnders didn’t accept the assistant manager role at Manchester City, Klopp would take it himself.
Lijnders worked with Klopp at Liverpool for many years and left the club alongside Klopp in 2024. After that, he took a managerial role at Red Bull Salzburg but was dismissed later that year due to underperformance before deciding to join Pep Guardiola in summer 2025.
Pep Lijnders said that in summer 2025 he received an offer to become assistant manager at Manchester City, giving him the chance to work with Guardiola. However, due to the intense rivalry between City and Liverpool, he hesitated and sought advice from Klopp.
When asked if the decision was difficult, Lijnders replied, “Do you want the official answer? Of course, it wasn’t hard. When Pep called and explained how he wanted me to help the team, along with the trust we already had before discussing details, it made the decision much easier.”
“But you can’t easily forget 10 years with Liverpool. I’m very proud to have worked with such a successful club for a decade and with a manager who revolutionized football. When I spoke with Jürgen, he was very clear: ‘If you don’t take it, I’ll be the assistant myself!’”
“When I return to Anfield next week, it will be very special—probably more so for my family than for me. But my goal is to win and to try to beat them.”