Red Bull boss Oliver Mintzlaff admitted he first spoke to Jurgen Klopp about working together more than two years ago.
After stepping down as Liverpool manager over the summer, Klopp has been unveiled as Red Bull's new global head of football – a position he will take up on January 1. The timing of the appointment, coupled with Red Bull's unpopularity in German football, saw Klopp attract massive criticism for taking the job.
According to Mintzlaff, talks with Klopp have been ongoing for more than two years, with things progressing rapidly this summer when Liverpool Finally, the Borussia Dortmund coach gave his full approval.
“Over the past 20 years, I have experienced and helped draft and negotiate many negotiations in football. I have to say that when he got the yes, it was the easiest,” Mintzlaff said. Bild. “It's not because we offered him an incredible financial package, on the contrary. We talked about the financial aspect for 20 seconds because he said he was ready for this mission. I hope he doesn't hear it now, because then he will think.” He and his advisor negotiated poorly!
“But no, financially it took 20 seconds. And when the answer came back, it was one of the easiest negotiations I've had in 20 years.
“It's taken a long time. It's been a very long process. The first idea was more than two years ago, when I first spoke to Jürgen about it. He said: 'I think this is fantastic, I think this is impressive, and not just what's happening in Football, but also the sports that Red Bull is involved in, and what effort they put in for young talent…'. It always interested him, so we always kept in touch and I never stopped.
He added: “But at some point he told me that he would extend his stay at Liverpool, and that was of course disappointing for me because that little door was closed after that.”
He added: “When he announced his departure, we met at his home in Liverpool a few months later and I started again with my topic and told him a lot of things, as I think we can benefit from him and that it will be an exciting task for him.” “Then he said, 'Okay, let's do it.' I had to slap myself in the face. He agreed and I quickly signed the contracts.”
