Jurgen Klopp could become the new manager of Germany’s national team in the summer, insiders at Red Bull reportedly fear.
Klopp’s presence at other events such as the Winter Olympics rather than more high-profile matches with Red Bull’s stable of clubs is ‘causing some [staff] to wonder’ if he will move on.
The 58-year-old left Liverpool in 2024 and joined Red Bull as their global head of football in January last year.
However, it is now an ‘open secret’ that the behind-the-scenes role does not fully suit him, according to Bild. It is not making the most of his interpersonal skills, which flourish when he is managing players.
And his agent, Marc Kosicke, admitted last month: ‘Jurgen feels very connected to this country. The question doesn’t even arise at the moment.
‘I don’t think he feels he has to do it at least once. Rather, he feels a sense of obligation, that he couldn’t always say no to the job.’
Jurgen Klopp could become the new Germany manager in the summer, according to reports in his homeland
His agent, Marc Kosicke, is unsure how much longer the ex-Liverpool boss will resist the job
Julian Nagelsmann (right) is currently the Germany manager and is contracted until 2028
Klopp has said no to Germany previously but Kosicke believes that, at some point, the former Liverpool boss will feel obliged to say yes.
There is one major fact blocking his joining: Julian Nagelsmann is contracted as Germany’s boss until 2028.
Nagelsmann, still only 38, has been in charge of Germany since 2023 and led them to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, where they lost to eventual champions Spain.
Klopp is contracted with Red Bull until 2029 and, according to German outlet Bild, has actually held informal talks around an extension rather than cutting his time short.
But there are concerns that his high-profile appearances at other events, most notably the Winter Olympics, rather than attending as many matches with their stable of clubs indicates that he is considering a future outside of Red Bull.
It is inevitable that a manager of Klopp’s quality will be linked with jobs and he has made no public indication that he is unsettled at Red Bull.
His decision to leave management, at least at club level, was linked to burnout and the wish to spend more time with his wife Ulla. It would take a very compelling offer to drag him back into a role he fulfilled almost non-stop for 23 years.
Explaining his decision to leave, he said last year: ‘When you are in the job for 25 years, it’s super intense. The only thing is that I am a very curious person and I couldn’t feed that anymore.
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‘It was just game after game after game after game. You keep a specific level and I wasn’t extremely happy with that to be honest. I always want to try to learn new stuff and I felt when I heard about the role that’s what I would do.
‘I no longer have to improve the game in individual places, but I want to make football better all over the world. No longer prepare a new game every week, but work on the bigger picture.’
Announcing his intention to leave Liverpool back in January 2024, he said: ‘I am, how can I say it, running out of energy. I have no problem now, obviously, I knew it already for longer that I will have to announce it at one point, but I am absolutely fine now. I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again.’
