"We're on the home stretch." That's the DFB's own words, and at this point it's hard to read them as anything other than a formality before the pen hits paper.
Jürgen Klopp is on the verge of becoming Germany's head coach, with the German Football Association confirming to news agency SID that a full agreement with Red Bull — Klopp's current employer — is close. The remaining sticking point was always going to be the contractual side: Klopp is currently tied to Red Bull as Head of Global Soccer until 2029, so getting him out of that and into a national team role required more than a handshake.
What he's walking into
Klopp would be replacing Julian Nagelsmann, who led Germany through Euro 2024 on home soil before the project stalled. The deal being discussed would run through the 2030 World Cup — a tournament that, assuming the expanded format proceeds as planned, gives Klopp a five-year runway to reshape the national team.
That's a significant chunk of time. Germany haven't won a major tournament since 2014, and the pressure to turn a generation of genuine talent into a winning unit has been building for years. Klopp's appointment wouldn't just be a PR move — it would signal a genuine attempt to stabilise a program that's looked inconsistent at the highest level.
Germany's tournament odds will shift the moment this is made official. A Klopp-led side carries a different kind of credibility than most national team appointments, given what he's done at club level with Dortmund and Liverpool. Bookmakers will price that in quickly.
The DFB says the home stretch. The only question now is how long the final straight turns out to be.
