Published On 7/8/2026
Jurgen Klopp hinted at his desire to sign a long-term contract when leading the German national team, as he did in his previous experiences with the clubs he worked for.
Klopp (59 years old) remains the most prominent candidate to succeed Julian Nagelsmann, who resigned as coach of the German national team after bidding farewell to the 2026 World Cup by losing to Paraguay in the round of 32 of the World Cup tournament held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Klopp worked with three clubs for long periods, namely Mainz in Germany from 2001 to 2008, Borussia Dortmund in Germany from 2008 to 2015, and finally Liverpool in England from 2015 to 2024.
Klopp, who participates in analyzing World Cup matches on Magenta TV, said: “I worked in clubs for a long time, and the first team was not the most important to me.”
The former Liverpool coach confirmed that he played a role in convincing Rudi Voller to continue in his position as sporting director of the German Football Association.
He added: “If Fuller continues, it will be a useful step, because he is a person who is fully aware of all the details.”
He continued: “Fuller has extensive experience in football, especially during his work in the German Football Association, while I do not have the same experience as him if I became a national team coach, because I was not an international player or a coach for any national team.”
Fuller decides to renew his contract with the German Federation
In this context, Rudi Föller, the German national team’s sporting director, decided to renew his contract until the 2028 European Championship, after he held talks with Jurgen Klopp to assume the position of coach of the team, along with the rest of the officials in the federation.
In an interview with German media, Fuller said that he wants to contribute to rebuilding the team after Germany’s early exit from the World Cup for the third time in a row.
He added in statements to the newspapers “Bild”, “Frankfurter Rundschau”, “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, the publishing house “Funke” and the magazine “Kicker”, that Klopp assured him in a phone call of the possibility of working with the national team.
Föller, who won the 1990 World Cup with the German national team, explained: “It quickly became clear that this could be a success. The offer is what pushed me to continue.”
He pointed out that he spoke with Bernd Neuendorf, President of the German Football Association, and his deputy, Hans-Joachim Watzke, and also communicated with Oliver Mintzlaff, Managing Director of Red Bull, as the contract would need to be terminated by Klopp, who holds the position of President of World Football for the company, in order for the former Dortmund and Liverpool coach to be able to coach the national team.
Watzke said in statements to ZDF: “I hope Rudi will continue working, because he will do a great job with Jurgen. We must unite efforts.”
Watzke, who is also president of Borussia Dortmund and has had a close relationship with Klopp since they worked together, is expected to arrive in America later this week with Neuendorf for talks with the coach.
Klopp works as a sports analyst for Magenta TV during the current World Cup.
Föller had assumed the position of sporting director in early 2023 after Germany’s exit from the group stage in the Qatar 2022 edition, and he played a role in appointing Nagelsmann as technical director, succeeding Hansi Flick.
