Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter
Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke has admitted he tried to entice Jurgen Klopp back to Germany after the manager guided Liverpool to Champions League glory.
Klopp spent seven years with Dortmund, winning two Bundesliga titles, before taking up his current role at Liverpool.
Dortmund failed to make their mark in the Bundesliga during the 2017/18 campaign and Watzke admitted he didn’t expect Klopp to take up his offer, even if he couldn’t help but make an approach.
In his new book REAL LOVE. A life with BVB , Watzke wrote: “I knew that Jurgen would [decline], that he will fulfil his contract in Liverpool.
“Jurgen has always fulfilled his contracts, but if you want to go new ways and we had to break new ground at BVB, then at least I had to ask Jurgen if he could possibly imagine that.
Show all 21 1 /21Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? Hot seat rankings Which Premier League managers are facing the sack?
Getty
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 20. Jurgen Klopp Preventing the Kop's adoration of the Kop inadvertently lifting him directly to heaven, Klopp will not be departing Anfield anytime soon.
Getty
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 19. Pep Guardiola The best manager in the world and personal friends with the board, the only way Pep departs will be out of his own volition. However, things aren't quite as rosy at the moment, after losing significant ground on Manchester City in the title race. Regardless, his departure won't come before the end of this season and, even if then, it'll be his decision.
AFP/Getty Images
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 18. Brendan Rodgers Amid an initial circus of doubters, Rodgers has revived Leicester's vein of title-winning form. The Foxes are flying in second, having won eight of their last 10 games, and have shown no signs of slowing. Jamie Vardy is still rewinding the years, James Maddison is one of the league's outstanding creative players, Wilfried Ndidi the militant enforcer at the base of midfield and Caglar Soyuncu allowing fans to quickly move on from Harry Maguire. Together, they form arguably the strongest spine in the league, and Rodgers has brought them to their best.
Getty
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 17. Jose Mourinho Jose Mourinho has arrived as the spotlight and, for now, after defeating West Ham it's beaming intensely. The aura surrounding Mourinho turning sour is always a danger, but this early in his tenure, it feels the only way is up for Spurs.
Getty
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 16. Frank Lampard Under enforced conditions, Lampard has reignited a rare sense of positivity at Stamford Bridge. Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James have all broken through, results are continually improving and there'll be a long degree of leniency for a hometown manager operating under such restraints.
Getty
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 14. Chris Wilder The sturdiest of the newly promoted clubs, Wilder has countered a lack of resources with invention, a frugal defence and a series of fearless performances against the bix-six. Their breathtaking 3-3 draw with Manchester United pushed the club into sixth - over 10 places ahead of their fellow promoted sides.
PA
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 13. Nuno Espirito Santo After a stuttering start, as the club managed their Europa League campaign, Santo's side are now undefeated in the league since mid-September. That run of form has pushed Wolves up into fifth and they're also primed to qualify for the knockout stages.
PA
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 12. Sean Dyche Like a fine claret, Burnley's success comes in cycles and, after Europa League qualification and the drear season which followed, Dyche's side have recovered from a dreary streak of results with back-to-back victories to keep the club in pursuit of a Europa League place.
AFP/Getty
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 11. Eddie Howe Howe is as much a part of Bournemouth's furniture as the seafront. However, his side have continued in mixed form, falling to two disappointing defeats after their upset of Manchester United. Yet it still remains hard to imagine Howe ever departing until a bigger club finally decides to throw their weight behind him.
Getty
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 10. Dean Smith Dean Smith is still attempting to gel a host of new signings into his squad and, while the signs of improvement are clearly there, the results are yet to follow. Three successive defeats has left Villa perched on the brink of the relegation zone, the defence still feels vulnerable, and although Trezeguet has proved an exciting signing, there's only so long they can largely rely on the ingenuity of John McGinn and Jack Grealish.
AFP/Getty Images
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 9. Steve Bruce Steve Bruce, the valiant centurion of the old guard, was swamped by trouble until Matty Longstaff downed Manchester United and smothered the club in good sibling feeling. Somehow, he's starting to win round the fans at St James Park, despite his Sunderland ties. And, after three wins in their last five games, the dark clouds have suddenly lifted.
EPA
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 8. Graham Potter The perfect partner to Dan Ashworth's technical revolution, the bedding-in period has remained slightly topsy-turvy. However, steadily Potter's brand of football is taking hold and, with an exciting group of new signings growing in stature along with Lewis Dunk's towering presence in defence, they should avoid another relegation battle.
Getty
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 7. Roy Hodgson Roy Hodgson entered the season as the old face ready to meet the axe of time. Instead, the 72-year-old began by defying the grandfather clock, soaring into the top-six. However, the warning signs soon started to chime again and suddenly four defeats in their last five games have left the club teetering precariously in the bottom half.
Getty Images
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 6. Daniel Farke The Canaries started with a wild chirp of victory, inflicting defeat on Newcastle and Manchester City, but a meeker tweet has followed. The club have lost six of their last eight games, including a scarring 5-1 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa. Farke is well-liked and encourages an exciting style of football - aspects which migh buy him breathing room - but their vulnerable defence is showing few signs of stemming the downward flight.
Getty
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 6. Ole Gunner Solskjaer If Old Trafford feels like a morgue, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has the uncomfortable air of a walking corpse. The draw against Sheffield United was, for the best part, abysmal. The club currently sit in ninth, having won just four games all season, and there's only so much longer the manager can hide behind the exciting hoard of academy graduates. Despite insisting they are firmly behind the Norweigian, a club of such stature can't continue like this for much longer.
Getty Images
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 5. Ralph Hasenhuttl Hasenhuttl arrived as the 'Austrian Klopp' but has been characterised by a glacial slide. The Saints have conceded more goals than any other side and haven't tasted victory in the league since mid-September. The ownership are desperate to stay up so as not to devalue the club's upcoming sale, however, their draw against Arsenal may have bought another inch of respite.
Reuters
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 4. Quique Sanchez Flores He’s barely settled back into his old seat, and yet Sanchez Flores' torturous reign already feels more like a pit stop. The Hornets have won just one game all season and remain firmly rooted to the bottom of the table, with few obvious signs of improvement. The hierarchy at Vicarage Road are notoriously trigger-happy and, even having already done so once this season, if they fail to make another change it feels as though they are destined for relegation.
EPA
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 3. Manuel Pellegrini For Manuel Pellegrini's talented but largely unspirited side, the slide is proving almost impossible to stop. The Hammers have now lost four of their last five league games and the club are already sounding out potential replacements, including Rafael Benitez. Despite a promising start to the season, Pellegrini's days are numbered.
Getty
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 2. Unai Emery After a fragile start to the season, Arsenal are now deep into implosion. The fans are revolting publicly calling for the manager's sacking, while his tactics remain as mysteriously muddled as ever, having now gone six matches without a win - the club's worst streak in over 20 years. The end is inevitable.
Reuters
Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 1. Marco Silva The question is barely whether Everton want to keep Marco Silva anymore. Instead, it’s can the club find a better replacement, and how fast. The Spaniard’s side sit in 15th, having lost seven games already this season, despite Marcel Brands’ investment in the summer. When the manager’s agent starts making public statements, you know the vultures are circling above Goodison Park.
PA
“I did not expect that at all, but I would not have forgiven myself for not asking him at that moment.”
Klopp has already guided Liverpool to their sixth European Cup, and with the club now eight points clear of second-place Manchester City in the Premier League, he looks primed to add England’s biggest domestic trophy to his cabinet.
Watzke attributed the reason for Klopp’s lasting success to his honesty.
“The most important thing in our relationship was and is that we can rely on each other blindly,” he added.
“Jurgen never lied to me. He is always honest, even in the job. And I never lied to him.
“Even in the most difficult phase, in the season of separation, when we crashed to the last place sometime shortly before the separation in the Bundesliga, that was the case.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies