Kolo Toure has admitted that Jurgen Klopp asked him to stay as a coach at Liverpool shortly before his departure in 2016.
Kolo became a popular figure among supporters during his time on Merseyside
Toure reflected on his time at Liverpool and revealed that the current boss offered him the chance to remain at the club in a coaching capacity.
Kolo Toure
"I spoke to Jurgen and he told me my contract wasn’t going to be renewed – but he did, however, want me as a coach in his backroom team,”
“That was massive for me. I think I was in Africa when he made the call, ‘Kolo, we want to keep you but I want you in my coaching staff.’ I told him I needed to think about it.”
Klopp’s hopes of keeping Toure’s influence around the club in a coaching capacity provide a demonstration of his willingness to keep experienced players at the club beyond their playing days.
Toure wasn’t quite ready to hang up his boots and instead went on to finish his playing career in Scotland at Celtic.
Toure continued:
“Having the opportunity to work with him as a coach was immense – it was going to be fantastic for me
“But at the same time, I was talking with Brendan at Celtic as well. Brendan was offering me one more year as a player. It was a hard decision to make, very hard.
“Liverpool was a great place for me. With the intensity of the game and my personality, it all fit really well. But ultimately, I wanted to play one more year and then just see what came after that.”
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