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Jurgen Klopp offered managerial comeback by Saudi Pro League, following shock sack: report

Jurgen Klopp might be about to return to management following a shock sack decision.

After nine years at Liverpool, in which he delivered a first Premier League title in 30 years and a sixth Champions League trophy, along with several domestic cups, the German stepped aside at Anfield, citing exhaustion as the major factor.

Klopp has since stepped into a controversial role at the Red Bull group overseeing player development, but may well be set for a return to the dugout in Saudi Arabia.

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Jurgen Klopp could return to the dugout for huge Saudi payday

Laurent Blanc

Laurent Blanc has been relieved of duties at Al Ittihad

Over the weekend, Al Ittihad parted ways with manager Laurent Blanc in spectacular fashion, following defeat to rivals Al Nassr.

Despite leading the Jeddah outfit to a league-and-cup Double last season and winning their opening three matches in the Pro League, the club sacked Blanc after the loss, to the shock of many in the Gulf State.

Cristiano Ronaldo and players of Al Nassr celebrates victory after winning the Saudi Pro League match between Al Ittihad and Al Nassr at King Abdullah Sports City on September 26, 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Al Nassr beat rivals Al Ittihad at the weekend (Image credit: Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Now, Al Riyadh in Saudi Arabia are reporting via Fichajes in Spain that the Tigers have set Klopp as their no.1 target.

“It’s clear that signing a star of his stature is intended to restore prestige and sporting stability to the Arab club,” the latter state – though it feels like a long shot.

FourFourTwo understands that Klopp remains committed to the Red Bull project and is enjoying life away from management at current – but naturally, if the Saudi Pro League approaches him, it will come with a big offer.

Given Klopp’s experience in gegenpressing, it may not be a natural fit to see him at a side where so many of the star players are over 30.

Barcelona manager Xavi poses with the LaLiga trophy, 2023

Xavi Hernandez is a target for Al Ittihad (Image credit: Alamy)

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has linked Xavi Hernandez, Luciano Spalletti and Sergio Conceicao with the vacant role via a post on X (formerly Twitter).

RB Leipzig are third in the Bundesliga after three games, with Red Bull Salzburg fourth in the Austrian equivalent.

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Isak debacle shows Newcastle remain stuck outside elite despite Saudi windfall | Newcastle United

There is another world, not so very different from this one, in which Newcastle took the pragmatic decision early in the summer that Alexander Isak was leaving, there wasnâ€t much they could do about it, and they might as well make the best of it: selling players at a profit, after all, is just what clubs on the rise have to do.

That was always true to an extent, but has become especially so in a world governed by profitability and sustainability rules (PSR). They could have taken the £125m, bought players at their leisure, and the sense going into the season would probably have been one of quiet satisfaction at a decent summer.

There has, at least, been an attempt to address some obvious issues in the squad. Callum Wilson was getting old; Yoane Wissa is not only an upgrade but his pace and capacity to pull wide make him a more natural fit for the dynamic counterattacking approach Eddie Howe favours.

Anthony Elanga brings pace and directness on the right and is probably a step up from Jacob Murphy. Jacob Ramsey adds to their creative options. There may be a sense that Malick Thiaw has not quite kicked on as many hoped he would when he first emerged at Schalke but, at 24, heâ€s a good young defender who adds depth and may yet develop.

Alexander Isakâ€s goal at Wembley helped Newcastle to Carabao Cup glory – but that triumph has a slight taint now. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

The shadow of Isak, though, and more specifically the acrimonious nature of his departure, hangs over everything. Is Nick Woltemade better than Isak? Obviously not. But is Woltemade plus Wissa potentially better in a year or two than Isak plus Wilson? Possibly.

In terms of transfer value, the two pairs roughly cancel (while opening up significant PSR headroom given the nature of amortisation). But because so much emotional energy was invested in keeping Isak, Newcastleâ€s season has begun in a funk: not great, not terrible, but dominated by three 0-0 draws that have highlighted the absence of a high-class centre-forward.

Even the Carabao Cup triumph has a slight taint now. How can fans settle down to watch a rerun knowing the clinching goal was scored by somebody many would be dismissing as a rat just a few months later?

It is both the blessing and the curse of the big one-club, post-industrial cities of the north that the identification of club and city is so strong. Thatâ€s why that victory at Wembley in March stimulated such a feeling of civic pride, but also why Isak provoked such strong reactions: in rejecting Newcastle United, he was also rejecting the city and its people.

What Newcastle are going through now is the equivalent of a painful break-up, reminders of lost love materialising at every turn. That feeling is likely to be particularly acute on Sunday as they face Arsenal, against whom Isak excelled last season. He scored the winner in the league at St James†Park – a glorious header from Anthony Gordonâ€s outswinging cross – and then in both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final.

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Isak was not local but had been taken to local hearts, an emblem of a possible future competing with the very best

Arsenal did beat Newcastle in May, when Isak was absent, but Newcastleâ€s physicality unsettled them in the first three meetings of the campaign. They also beat Arsenal 1-0 at home the previous season, a series of games that has seemingly contributed to Mikel Artetaâ€s adoption of an increasingly physical and cautious approach.

Woltemade did score the winner against Wolves and has produced enough nice touches while sporting distinctive facial hair to raise the possibility he could become a cult figure, but – assuming he starts – facing Gabriel Maghalães and William Saliba or Cristhian Mosquera is a whole new level of challenge.

Why, then, given the near-inevitability of Isakâ€s departure and the futility of keeping a player against his will, and the fact his sale could have been made into a positive, creating PSR headroom for significant spending, did Newcastle wait until the last minute to take the money?

On one level it was simply a failure of leadership. With the sporting director, Paul Mitchell, having left in June, there was a vacuum, nobody to make the decision or to present the boardâ€s position to the public. But perhaps it stung particularly because deep in the folk consciousness of the club is a memory of the 1980s, when Newcastle were forced to sell Chris Waddle, Peter Beardsley and Paul Gascoigne, contributing to the sense of the club as a diminished entity. Isak was not, as those three were, local – but he had been taken to local hearts and become an emblem of a possible future competing with the very best.

Nick Woltemade scores against Wolves – but the prospect of facing Arsenalâ€s defenders is a far bigger challenge for Newcastleâ€s new signing. Photograph: Richard Lee/Shutterstock

There is an echo of the sale of Andy Cole to Manchester United in 1995, the same bewilderment at letting a prolific forward join a Premier League rival, but at least then Kevin Keegan appeared on the steps to explain the decision and there followed a few months later the world-record signing of Alan Shearer. Sir John Hallâ€s largesse in funding transfers had not stopped. Whether the Saudis remain so committed is less clear.

Ambitious talk of a move to a new stadium in Leazes Park in March seemed a reaffirmation of their commitment, but little has happened since, beyond a petition being raised to save the park. Perhaps there will be progress now David Hopkinson is installed as chief executive, but no decisions are expected until next year at the earliest, in line with the Saudi Public Investment Fundâ€s (PIF) general policy of retrenchment.

The “strategic realignment†is particularly directed at investments outside Saudi Arabia and, while it may be true that PIF has become frustrated by PSR as a check on the pace of growth, the regulations also serve as useful cover for investors scaling back. As the Swiss Ramble football finance Substack pointed out, a £73m loss from 2021-22 falls out of PSR consideration this year, meaning Newcastle can make a loss of about £80m this financial year and still be compliant.

And thatâ€s the other – ultimately more unsettling – element of the Isak debacle. Itâ€s not just that he will be missed; itâ€s what he represents. He was the symbol of Newcastleâ€s imagined future as an elite club with world-class players, a bellwether of the success the Saudi money could bring. Now Isak has gone, and so too has much of optimism about the transformational impact PIFâ€s investment could have.

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Top WWE Star Shares Excitement For WrestleMania 43 In Saudi Arabia

Tiffany Stratton is excited for WWE WrestleMania 43 taking place in Saudi Arabia.

WWE announced a few weeks ago that the event will be held outside the U.S. for the first time. To make the announcement, WWE hosted a special event in Las Vegas, where Triple H, Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority Chairman Turki Alalshikh and stars like Seth Rollins, Logan Paul, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Liv Morgan and Stephanie Vaquer attended.

Reports have also revealed that WWE plans to make WrestleMania 43 its most star studded event yet, aiming to feature legends like The Rock, Stone Cold, The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels if the WrestleMania 43 takes place in Saudi Arabia.

Although fans had mixed reactions to the announcement of WrestleMania 43 taking place in Saudi Arabia. Tiffany Stratton is excited about the show, in an interview with Going Ringside, Stratton expressed her excitement for returning to Saudi Arabia.

She said, “Iâ€m excited. The last time we were there I believe, we went on this little safari adventure, and I hope we get to do that again because that was super fun. I think Bianca mentioned women are making history over there, and I canâ€t wait to be a part of that myself. So Iâ€m super excited and I canâ€t wait.†[H/T: WrestlePurists]

Tiffany Stratton addresses rumors that sheâ€s injured

Last week, WWE NXT pulled Tiffany Stratton from her return match, where she was supposed to team with Rhea Ripley and Stephanie Vaquer. The match didnâ€t happen because doctors didnâ€t clear her to compete. NXT GM Ava explained that this was related to her recent title match against Jade Cargill and announced that Lyra Valkyria would replace her.

Stratton has now addressed the rumors, saying she is physically fine. “Physically, Iâ€m OK. Obviously on my moonsault, it was a little bit of a rough landing. However, I was fine. I think it was just more precautionary and kind of just monitoring and seeing if anything was bad about the fall. But for the most part, Iâ€m doing good, Iâ€m great.â€

Read More: Tony Khan Comments On Running An AEW Event Against WrestleMania 43 In 2027

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