Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has encouraged former club Barcelona to appoint Jurgen Klopp as their next manager.
The Catalan giants will be looking for a new boss in the summer following Xavi’s recent announcement that he will step down from his position. The Spaniard had been under mounting pressure in recent weeks, amid a disappointing run of results, and communicated to the media his feeling that a change was needed just nine months after he led the club to a 27th La Liga title.
Klopp is also leaving Premier League table-toppers Liverpool this summer, citing burnout and the inability to do the job “again and again and again”, and suggested that he may not take another role in management.
Despite those words, the 56-year-old has been extensively linked with the Germany national team job, and has also been touted as a potential successor to Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich, should the Bavarian behemoths fail to overcome Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga title race.
But Aubameyang, now playing for Marseille as he heads into the twilight of his career, believes Barcelona should go after Klopp once he departs Anfield, having previously worked under him at Borussia Dortmund.
“Klopp gives you everything, energy, he has won great titles, he is a good coach,” he told journalist Gerard Romero’s Twitch channel. “If there is a chance for Barca he is a good option.
“I was very comfortable with him in Dortmund. It would be incredible if he could come.”
Aubameyang’s career at Barcelona was relatively short and sweet, lasting just seven months, but he did make an impact in La Liga. After arriving on a free transfer – he acrimoniously departed Arsenal after being stripped of the club captaincy by Mikel Arteta – the now 34-year-old scored 11 goals in 18 La Liga games, most notably scoring a brace in a memorable 4-0 away win at rivals Real Madrid.
He was even awarded a La Liga winner’s medal despite playing just one game for the club in 2022/23 – a return to the Premier League with Chelsea, then managed by former Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel, proving too good to turn down.
As for Klopp, he’s won the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, FA Cup and two EFL Cups during his eight-and-a-half-year tenure on Merseyside, and could depart this summer with a famous quadruple under his belt – the club are competing for both domestic cups and Europa League glory in addition to currently topping the Premier League.
