"This is now the third elimination in a row so we are not part of the first class teams any more." Julian Nagelsmann said it himself after Germany's penalty shootout exit to Paraguay in the Round of 32. Painful words — and the kind that tend to precede a managerial departure, even if Nagelsmann insists resigning isn't on his mind.
Into that vacuum steps a very familiar name. According to The Mirror, citing The Telegraph, Jurgen Klopp is open to taking the Germany job if it becomes available — provided certain conditions are met. And those conditions matter more than the headline.
The appeal is obvious, the obstacle is real
Klopp hasn't managed a club since leaving Liverpool in 2024. Since January 2025 he's been working as Head of Global Soccer in the Red Bull network — an executive role, not a tracksuit one. The daily grind of coaching is something he deliberately walked away from.
So the idea that he'd return to one of international football's most scrutinised jobs needs context. Reports suggest one specific condition is already shaping discussions: Klopp doesn't want to spend every weekend travelling across Germany and Europe watching club matches in person. That's traditionally a core part of international management. Whether the German FA would build a bespoke arrangement around him is genuinely unclear.
What is clear is his motivation. One of his stated ambitions is to manage at a World Cup — something he never did at club level. The Germany role is essentially the only job on earth that offers him that, in a language he speaks, with a fanbase that adores him. The pull is obvious.
When asked directly about the links after Germany's exit, Klopp was careful: "I understand that my name is being mentioned. But this isn't the moment to talk about it and certainly not with me." That's not a denial. That's a man keeping a door open while the dust settles.
Nagelsmann isn't gone yet — but the pressure is mounting
Nagelsmann is contracted through the 2028 European Championship, co-hosted by England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland. He's 38, he inherited a side already in transition, and he's now overseen three successive major tournament exits. The patience of a football association only stretches so far, contracts or not.
Germany odds in any future tournament market will reflect this uncertainty. A team that can't get out of the Round of 32 against Paraguay is not the same proposition it was four years ago, regardless of who's in the dugout.
Klopp's stature at Dortmund and Liverpool gives him a different kind of credibility — the kind that can shift dressing room dynamics and public confidence simultaneously. That's exactly what Germany's football association needs to sell to a frustrated fanbase.
For now, Nagelsmann stays. But "I am disappointed" followed by three straight early exits is not a position of strength. The coming weeks will define whether Germany opts for patience or reaches for the most obvious alternative available to them.
