The German Football Association confirmed Friday that they’ve held face-to-face talks with Jürgen Klopp about taking over as national team head coach. And it happened in New York, not Berlin.
DFB President Bernd Neuendorf and Vice President Hans-Joachim Watzke met with Klopp in Manhattan on Thursday for what the federation called an “initial in-depth meeting.” The takeaway? Both sides walked away feeling good about where this is headed.
The key terms are already in place
According to the DFB’s official statement, the parties “reached an understanding on the key terms of a potential contract.” That’s a lot more specific than the usual “positive and constructive talks” boilerplate. Sky Germany reported earlier that a deal in principle exists through 2030, and the DFB didn’t push back on that timeline.
The German side is clearly moving fast here. Julian Nagelsmann stepped down after Germany crashed out of the World Cup in the round of 32 against Paraguay, which created an opening nobody expected to fill this quickly.
The Red Bull complication
Here’s the thing — Klopp isn’t exactly free. He’s under contract as Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer, a role he took on after leaving Liverpool. But the DFB statement suggested that won’t be a dealbreaker. They explicitly noted the next step involves “reaching an agreement with Klopp’s current employer, Red Bull.”
Both sides sounded confident. The DFB said the talks produced “constructive discussions” and that the negotiations can “ultimately be concluded successfully.” That’s not the language of a federation that expects to hear no.
What comes next
The DFB still needs final approval from its Supervisory Board and Shareholders’ Assembly at DFB GmbH & Co. KG. So nothing is officially signed. But the fact that Neuendorf and Watzke went to New York — not Frankfurt, not Munich — tells you how serious this is. Klopp is in the U.S. regularly for Red Bull work, and they went to him.
More talks are scheduled for next week. If this goes through, Klopp would take over a German program that just hit its lowest point in decades at the World Cup. The roster still has talent — Musiala, Wirtz, Havertz — but the group stage exit in 2022 and this latest round of 32 flop have exposed deeper issues.
Klopp has never coached a national team. He’s always been a club guy, building programs at Mainz, Dortmund and Liverpool. Taking the Germany job at 59 would be a completely different kind of challenge. But the DFB clearly thinks he’s the guy to fix it.
Leave a Comment