National football team: Völler thinks ahead: Klopp as Nagelsmann’s logical successor

Rudi Völler is thinking beyond Julian Nagelsmann’s time as national coach and already knows a logical successor: Jürgen Klopp. “I don’t even know what Jürgen would like to do again. But if Julian Nagelsmann were to decide at some point that he would rather coach a top club in Europe or Germany again – of course, then there is no way around Jürgen Klopp if he wants to…” said DFB sports director Rudi Völler in ZDF’s “Sportstudio”.

Nagelsmann will have been in office for exactly one year this Sunday and is intensively planning the path to the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. He had extended his contract until the next major event before the home European Championship, which ended with a bitter quarter-final defeat for the DFB team against Spain (1:2 after extra time). The Nations League started well with a 5:0 win against Hungary and a 2:2 draw in the Netherlands.

Undefined time-out from Klopp

Klopp left Liverpool FC in the summer after many successful years and is currently on an indefinite coaching break. The 57-year-old has not ruled out ending his career as a coach. Nagelsmann himself has always stressed that he wants to work as a club coach again in the future.

Völler himself had already announced that he would complete his role as sporting director in North America after the World Cup in just under two years. A year ago, he had appointed Nagelsmann as his preferred candidate to succeed Hansi Flick as national coach.