Julian Nagelsmann Out as Germany Coach. Klopp Is the Frontrunner to Replace Him.

Julian Nagelsmann is done as Germany’s head coach. The DFB confirmed his departure this morning, three years after he took the job and just days after a disastrous World Cup exit at the hands of Paraguay in the Round of 32.

The 38-year-old leaves with a mixed record. He came in with plenty of hype, brought some energy back to the national team after the 2022 World Cup flop, but never quite got them over the hump. The penalty shootout loss to Paraguay was the final straw. According to BILD, the DFB had been pushing him to step aside for a few days, and it’s now official.

Klopp the clear favorite

Attention immediately shifts to Jürgen Klopp. The former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund manager is reportedly the top candidate, and there’s a specific reason why this could happen fast. Reports say Klopp has a verbal release clause in his RB Leipzig contract that lets him leave if the DFB comes calling for the national team job.

Klopp has never hidden his desire to coach Germany one day. He’s said it in interviews for years. And now, with Nagelsmann out, the timing lines up. He’s at Leipzig, he’s successful, but this is the kind of opportunity you don’t pass up if you’re him. The DFB hasn’t confirmed anything yet, but the speculation is loud and it’s not going away.

Nagelsmann’s exit is the biggest shakeup in German soccer since, well, the last one. The federation has been a revolving door of coaches since Joachim Löw left after Euro 2020. Hansi Flick came and went. Now Nagelsmann. Each time, the expectation is that the next guy will be the one to restore order. Klopp might actually be that guy.

What happens next

The DFB will move quickly. They have to. Germany has a Nations League campaign coming up and they need a direction. Klopp is the name everyone is talking about, but there are other options if that falls through. For now, all eyes are on Leipzig’s manager and whether he picks up the phone.

Nagelsmann’s next move is unclear. He’s young for a coach with this kind of resume, and he’ll have options. Club jobs in England or Spain could be waiting. But for today, the story is the end of his tenure and the beginning of what might be the Klopp era for Germany.