Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said Friday he has had discussions with the German federation about taking over as national team coach after Julian Nagelsmann’s exit.
The DFB (German federation) confirmed Nagelsmann’s departure Friday, four days after Germany’s shocking exit from the World Cup against Paraguay in the round of 32, while adding that Klopp had already been approached about the opening.
“The German Football Association expressly thanks Julian Nagelsmann for his work since September 2023. He is characterized by a high level of commitment and extraordinary ambition,” Bernd Neuendorf, president of the German football association, said in a statement.
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“Regarding the appointment of a new coach, the DFB leadership will now seek talks with Jürgen Klopp. He has already signaled his general willingness to take on the position.”
Speaking later in the day Friday as part of his role as World Cup analyst for Magenta TV, Klopp confirmed that he had been approached about the opportunity.
“Yes, I can confirm the talks,” Klopp said. “Yes, Julian resigned, and the DFB is working on a succession plan and over the course of these deliberations, they have reached out to me.”
Germany lost 4-3 on penalties to the South American side to suffer an early exit from the tournament for the third time in a row, following their failure to make it out of the group stages in the 2022 and 2018 editions of the competition.
Klopp hasn’t been in management since leaving Liverpool in 2024. He was named Red Bull’s head of soccer in January 2025, and Friday, he said that the time to return to the sidelines was “better than it’s ever been.”
“The timing, even now, is not perfect because I am currently under contract with Red Bull, but it is still better than it has ever been,” said Klopp, who has been linked to other national team jobs, including Germany in the past. “When I stopped at Liverpool, I lacked the energy for even one more year with the club, and I’m more than recharged now.”
The Premier League and Champions League winner at Anfield said he would need to talk with his employer, Oliver Mintzlaff at Red Bull, but thought that no one would stand in his way if he left to take the job as Germany coach.
“The situation is such that I have an existing contract with Red Bull. As a person, I am usually very happy to keep contracts,” Klopp said. “But I have also said that I am very interested in the discussions. Those conversations will have to happen, and they will have to be intensive talks because, of course, the problems Germany were experiencing were not due to Julian Nagelsmann.
“Julian Nagelsmann is an extraordinary coach, and he will have the opportunity to prove that many times in his coaching career.”
Nagelsmann replaced Hansi Flick as Germany’s head coach in 2023 and became the country’s second-youngest coach at just 36.
The former Bayern Munich boss led Germany to the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 and had extended his contract until Euro 2028 in January 2025.
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