Klopp agrees in principle to succeed Nagelsmann as Germany coach

Jürgen Klopp has reached an agreement in principle to take over as the head coach of Germany’s men’s national team. The former Liverpool manager met with German Football Association (DFB) president Bernd Neuendorf and vice-president Hans-Joachim Watzke in New York on Friday to outline a potential contract. The move comes just weeks after Julian Nagelsmann resigned following the team’s early elimination from the World Cup.

The DFB confirmed that both sides agreed on the key points of a deal, though finalising it requires navigating Klopp's current corporate employment. He has served as the head of global football at Red Bull since January 2025. "Both sides are confident that the negotiations - subject to an agreement with Klopp's current employer, Red Bull - can ultimately be successfully concluded," the DFB said in a statement.

For German public life, securing Klopp represents a major cultural reset after a prolonged period of sporting decline. Since Joachim Löw guided the team to a World Cup victory in 2014, the nation has watched its flagship team falter. They failed to advance past the group stage in 2018 and 2022, and the recent last-32 penalty defeat to Paraguay underlined a systemic malaise.

The speed of these negotiations highlights the enduring influence of established networks in European football governance. Watzke, 69, worked closely with Klopp at Dortmund, serving as chief executive from 2005 until he stood down at his own request last year. That pre-existing relationship proved crucial for the DFB to move swiftly for a coach who also previously spent seven years managing Mainz 05.

Klopp is expected to sign a four-year contract, marking his first venture into international management. His coaching pedigree is deeply rooted in German football, having led Dortmund to two Bundesliga titles before a celebrated nine-year stint at Liverpool that yielded seven major honours. During the recent World Cup, he worked as a television pundit and dismissed rumours linking him to Real Madrid in March as "all nonsense".

Nagelsmann’s departure ended a brief tenure that began in September 2023. After guiding a tournament-hosting Germany to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, where they lost to eventual winners Spain, his contract was extended through Euro 2028. However, the World Cup exit proved to be the final straw for a federation desperate to restore its sporting credibility.