Jurgen Klopp has made a choice about who should take over as Germany’s manager after Julian Nagelsmann left following the World Cup.
Jurgen Klopp seems to have finally made up his mind about becoming Germany’s national team coach. Since leaving Liverpool after nearly nine years as a manager and becoming a club legend, people have wondered what he would do next.
Many thought he would take over as Germany’s coach after Euro 2024, but the German Football Association (DFB) chose to keep Julian Nagelsmann in charge. After Germany reached the quarter-finals, Nagelsmann got a contract extension to stay until Euro 2028.
Still, talk about Klopp and the German job hasn’t stopped. Even though Klopp is now the head of global football at Red Bull, rumors about him taking the national team keep coming back. After Germany’s surprising World Cup loss to Paraguay, these rumors are getting stronger since Nagelsmann’s job looks shaky.
According to The Telegraph, Klopp is ready to step in if Nagelsmann is let go. In the match, Kai Havertz scored to bring Germany back after Paraguay’s Julio Enciso opened the scoring, but eventually Paraguay won in a penalty shootout.
Nagelsmann hasn’t been fired yet, but many believe it’s only a matter of time. He told reporters after the game, “I won’t step down. If the DFB wants me to continue, I’ll continue. I know people want me gone, but I’ll stay if they want me to. I understand many Germans aren’t happy with how we played, but that’s part of the job.”
If Nagelsmann leaves, Klopp would apparently be excited to lead Germany at the 2030 World Cup and maybe even at Euro 2028. Any deal with Klopp would probably let him avoid having to watch all the German players every weekend in their league games.
After the loss to Paraguay, Klopp was quickly asked if he might replace Nagelsmann. As a World Cup pundit for MagentaTV, Klopp said, “I haven’t thought about that yet. I know my name comes up when the national coach is talked about. But now isn’t the time to discuss it. I have a job I enjoy a lot, and it’s not part-time.”