Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp will start work as Red Bull’s new Global Head of Soccer in the New Year
Jurgen Klopp will begin his next chapter in football when January arrives having agreed to take on the role of Global Head of Soccer at Red Bull. The 57-year-old said farewell to Liverpool at the end of last season and has taken a sabbatical for several months from work.
But he has been lured back into the game in a somewhat unfamiliar role, tasked with overseeing Red Bull’s international network of football teams.
It is a role Klopp takes up from January 1, but in his new position he may well have to hit the ground running with Red Bull reportedly eyeing another addition to their growing portfolio.
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According to reports in the Netherlands via Dutch news outlet Der Gelderlander, Red Bull are ready to compete with Manchester City owners, City Football Group, to acquire the beleaguered Eerste Divisie side Vitesse Arnhem.
itesse were relegated from the Eredivise into the Eerste Divisie last season having been deducted 18 points by the Dutch FA, the KNVB, for breaching licensing regulations.
Vitesse, who had an unofficial link with Chelsea for a number of years that saw players such as Mason Mount and Armando Broja spend loan spells with the club, had a brush with bankruptcy during the summer before managing to carry on, but they remain on the hunt for a new owner, and Red Bull and City Football Group are understood to see potential in a deal.
Prior to their financial difficulties and subsequent relegation, Vitesse had been regulars in UEFA competitions for a decade, competing across five Europa League campaigns between 2012 and 2019, and most recently competing in the Europa Conference League in 2021/22.
Should Red Bull be successful in their pursuit of a controlling interest in Vitesse, the Dutch side would add to a roster of clubs within the network that totals five majority stakes, with another one pending, and one minority position.
Red Bull owns RB Leipzig, Red Bull Salzburg, FC Liefering, New York Red Bulls, and Red Bull Bragantino, while it is closing in on a deal for French Ligue 2 side Paris FC. Earlier this year they also took a small position with Championship side Leeds United.
The growth of the portfolio and its competitive success is something that will fall under the remit of Klopp when he takes up his new role.
Speaking last month when his appointment was announced, the former Liverpool boss said: “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.”
