Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insisted on Saturday (Jul 4) that he was recharged and ready for ‘intensive discussions’ over becoming Germany’s new head coach.
A day before, he told the German FA (DFB) that he was ‘fundamentally willing’ to take over the new job after Julian Nagelsmann resigned following Germany’s early exit from the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026. Nagelsmann, who was contracted till 2028, stepped down from his position just four days after Paraguay knocked out the former champions in the Round of 32.
Meanwhile, Klopp, who led Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga before signing for the Premier League club, is under contract as the head of global football for the Red Bull conglomerate. However, Sky Germany’s report states that he has a verbal agreement that allows him to leave to take up the job in Germany.
“The timing isn’t perfect right now,” Klopp said while speaking on Magenta TV, for whom he was working as a World Cup pundit. “Nevertheless, it’s better than it has ever been. By now, I’m more than recharged. So, I’m ready.”
“I have an existing contract with Red Bull. I like to honour contracts.
“But I am interested in talks. They would have to be intensive discussions. The problems we currently have don’t hinge on Julian Nagelsmann.
“We have to fundamentally change things now. Whether it ends up being me or whoever else it might be, that doesn’t change the fact that changes are necessary,” he added.
Klopp said he would also need to talk with Red Bull managing director Oliver Mintzlaff.
“German football is close to his heart. Red Bull needs to come out of this situation cleanly. It’s not that easy to get out of it,” said Klopp, who led Liverpool to Champions League and Premier League honours.
Topsy-turvy World Cup for Germany
Following Germany’s World Cup opener against the debutants Curaçao, where they smashed seven goals past them, they looked like a team to beat heading into the knockout rounds. They later beat Ivory Coast in their next group stage game but suffered an unlikely defeat to Ecuador in their final match. Nonetheless, they topped Group E and advanced to the next stage.
There, in the Round of 32, they faced Paraguay. After both teams scored one goal each in the regular and extra time, the match went to penalties, where the South American country beat the four-time winners (4-3), knocking them out of the tournament.
Germany goalkeeper and veteran Manuel Neuer also announced his international retirement.