Klopp Says Germany Job Talks Are Underway and Energy Has Returned Since Liverpool Exit

Jürgen Klopp has acknowledged that discussions are underway for him to become Germany’s national team coach, adding that he now feels restored after the fatigue that led him to leave Liverpool.

The German football federation views Klopp as its leading choice following Julian Nagelsmann’s resignation on Friday. Nagelsmann stepped down four days after Germany were eliminated from the World Cup on penalties by Paraguay in the round of 32.

Speaking from New York late Friday as a World Cup analyst for German broadcaster Magenta TV, Klopp said: “Julian has stepped down and the (federation) is working on the succession and has approached me in the course of those considerations.”

A federation statement on the team’s future named Klopp as the only coach mentioned and noted that he had “signaled his willingness” to accept the post.

Klopp cautioned that any appointment would not happen quickly, citing his existing contract as head of global soccer for Red Bull’s network of clubs.

He has not managed a team since departing Liverpool in 2024. At that time, he said he was “running out of energy” after eight years in charge, a period in which he delivered both the Premier League and the Champions League.

“About two years ago, I stopped at Liverpool and said that I lacked the energy for another job or for another year with Liverpool. Since then, I’m more than recharged, I’m ready,” he said.

Germany’s next head coach will face pressure to overhaul the squad, and Klopp said he would require “intensive talks” with federation officials to settle the main priorities for turning results around.

It marked the third consecutive men’s World Cup in which Germany failed to advance beyond the round of 32. The nation has not won a knockout match since defeating Argentina in the 2014 final.

Klopp described Nagelsmann as an “excellent coach” and said he should not be held responsible for deeper structural issues within the program.

“German soccer is obviously at a turning point now,” Klopp said. “Now we need to change things fundamentally. Whether that’s me in the end or whoever it may be, that doesn’t change the fact that changes are necessary.”

Klopp has been a prominent television figure during the World Cup on German networks, including conducting post-match interviews with Nagelsmann at pitchside. In the hours immediately after the loss to Paraguay, he said he had not been considering the Germany position.