Hans-Joachim Watzke is not ready to pop the champagne just yet. The DFB vice president and longtime Borussia Dortmund boss went public with the reality of trying to make Jürgen Klopp the next Germany head coach, and it sounds like there is still actual work to do.
Speaking to ZDF, Watzke said the deal is far from finished.
“This is not a done deal yet. There are still hurdles to overcome,” he said. That is a pretty honest admission for a guy who worked alongside Klopp for years and now sits atop the German football federation’s decision-making structure.
The big complication? Klopp is currently under contract at RB Leipzig. And Watzke is not naive about what that means.
“Especially considering that he has a contract at RB. I’m a bit more skeptical about getting him out of his contract than others,” Watzke added. He framed it as the single biggest obstacle standing between Germany and its dream hire.
The odds and the optimism
Watzke did put a number on it, though, and the number is encouraging for fans who want to see Klopp on the touchline for Die Mannschaft. “I’m convinced the chances are higher than 50%, but that doesn’t mean it’s 100%,” he said. “Jürgen is our plan A and we want to implement our plan.”
So there is a plan. There is a willingness from both sides. But there are also “problems to be solved” and Watzke was blunt about the DFB’s financial limits. That is where the patriotism angle comes in.
“We expect, or rather I expect, a slight ‘patriotism discount’ from Jürgen in particular. I know that he loves Germany,” Watzke said. That is one way to put it. The DFB does not have the blank-check resources of a club like Leipzig’s backers, so they are basically asking Klopp to take less than market value for the chance to coach his national team. Which, to be fair, is not an unheard of ask in international football.
The situation is fluid. Watzke has been around long enough to know that until the contract is signed, anything can happen. Leipzig could dig in. Another offer could surface. Klopp himself could decide the timing is not right. But right now, the DFB’s top guy is telling the country the answer is probably yes — just not definitely yes.
That is about as honest as you get from a federation official this close to a major hire.
Leave a Comment