What Jürgen Klopp would do if Liverpool inherit City titles

March 2, 2026 Oliver Obel

Jurgen Klopp says he knows exactly how he would celebrate if Liverpool were ever retrospectively awarded Premier League titles because of Manchester City’s ongoing legal battle with the league.

“Just book a flight to Mallorca. I will buy the beer,” he said.

Whether that scenario ever becomes reality depends on a verdict that could reshape recent English football history.

The Premier League announced in February 2023 that City had been charged with alleged financial rule breaches covering a nine-year period. A 10-week hearing began in September 2024 and concluded in December. The three-member independent commission overseeing the case has not yet issued a decision, and no date has been set for the outcome.

City have strongly denied wrongdoing and previously said they welcome the opportunity to present what they describe as a comprehensive body of evidence in their defense.

What could the punishment be?

Because the alleged breaches stretch across nearly a decade, potential sanctions have become a major talking point.

On The Overlap, football finance expert Kieran Maguire compared the situation to recent cases involving Everton and Nottingham Forest, both of whom were docked points for breaching the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules.

“If we take a look at precedence, we have had Everton and Nottingham Forest with six and four-point deductions for a single offence covering a three-year period," Maguire explained.

"The accusations against Manchester City cover a nine-year period, so it is far bigger.

"I think you have to add a zero to what we’ve seen in terms of Forest and Everton, so somewhere between a 40 and 60-point deduction would be, on merit to be consistent with what we’ve seen with other decisions, would make a lot of logic."

A deduction of that scale would be unprecedented in modern Premier League history. Some observers have also speculated about the possibility of stripping titles won during the period under investigation, although many analysts consider that outcome less likely than points penalties or financial sanctions. Appeals could also follow any ruling, potentially extending the process further.

Why Liverpool are part of the conversation

If titles were removed from seasons under scrutiny, the 2018/19 and 2021/22 campaigns would immediately come into focus.

Klopp’s Liverpool finished second to Pep Guardiola’s side in both years. They amassed 97 points in 2018/19 still the highest total in Premier League history for a team that did not win the title and 92 points in 2021/22 in another tight race.

Speaking to ESPN last year after announcing his departure from Liverpool, Klopp was asked how he would react if his former club were eventually awarded additional honours.

"We had this discussion when I left," Klopp explained via ESPN.

"I haven't spent a lot of time in Mallorca because I am always flying around the place, but if it would happen, I told all the people who wanted to [come]: 'Just book a flight to Mallorca. I will buy the beer!' We'd have our own parade in my garden," he joked.

For now, though, it remains hypothetical. Until the commission delivers its findings and any potential appeals are resolved the league’s record books stay exactly as they are.

Sources: ESPN, The Overlap, Premier League statements