Germany seek talks with Klopp after Nagelsmann resigns from coach role

Julian Nagelsmann resigned as Germany coach on Friday after the national team’s round-of-32 exit to Paraguay at the World Cup, and the German Football Association immediately turned to Jurgen Klopp as its preferred reset candidate. The DFB said it would seek talks with Klopp, who has already signalled a general willingness to take the job, as German football confronts another crisis of direction at the top of the men’s side.

Nagelsmann’s departure followed a three-hour meeting at DFB headquarters in Frankfurt. The federation thanked him for his work since taking over in September 2023, first on a deal that was set to run through the 2024 home European Championship and later on an extension signed in April 2024 that would have kept him in place until after the 2026 World Cup. His contract was due to run until 2028, and Bild reported that he was offered a severance package of 7 million euros, roughly one year’s salary, to end it early.

The resignation landed after one of Germany’s most familiar tournament collapses. The country failed to escape the group stage at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, were beaten by England in the last 16 at Euro 2021, and lost to Spain on home soil at Euro 2024. Joachim Loew stayed on for three years after the 2018 World Cup, while Hansi Flick left a year after the 2022 tournament, and the DFB’s push for a quick replacement suggests a determination not to let this failure drift into another long interim period.

Klopp would be taking his first coaching job since leaving Liverpool in 2024 if he accepts. He is currently Red Bull’s head of global football, but his record at Liverpool, where he won the Champions League and Premier League, makes him the most obvious figure for a federation searching for authority, energy and a clearer identity after years of stop-start reconstruction.

Nagelsmann said the decision was not easy, apologised to fans and said the team deserved a fresh start after the disappointment. DFB sporting director Rudi Voeller said Nagelsmann remained an excellent coach, but the federation has already moved beyond appreciation to action, and the next conversation will determine whether Germany are making a genuine rebuild or simply reacting to another tournament failure.