Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has announced that he will leave the club at the end of the season. This decision is likely to create a ripple effect that could impact Germany, Julian Nagelsmann and Bayer Leverkusen.
It is an open secret that the DFB have always wanted Klopp as the Germany coach. The current coach, Julian Nagelsmann, is on a short-term contract as Germany manager, valid until after the Euros this summer. With Germany not showing any sign of setting the world alight at the home Euros, Nagelsmann will likely leave the role at the end of his contract.
But will Klopp be interested in managing Germany?
One of the reasons Klopp has decided to leave Liverpool is due to “running out of energy”. Klopp may decide he wants a hiatus for a couple of months to recharge his batteries, going off a quote from his interview, Klopp said: “Will you ever work as a manager again?’ I would say now no.” This suggests that he would not be interested in taking the Germany job at the moment.
This will likely affect any plans that the DFB had going forward if they are to replace Nagelsmann in the summer. A possibility is that an interim could take charge for a year to get the team started in the Nations League and World Cup qualification before Klopp is ready to take over.
What is clear is that the German national team needs a big overhaul and Klopp may be the right man to lead the national team and maybe return them to their former glories. The role of the national team manager is also normally less demanding than a club role which may suit Klopp at this stage of his career.
For Nagelsmann, this could open up another job opportunity for him. In the summer he had reportedly rejected Tottenham and Chelsea before taking the Germany role. After being sacked by Bayern Munich, this could be the perfect opportunity for him to show that he still is a world-class manager and can fully feel the backing of a club at Liverpool, something he did not experience at Bayern. There are very few opportunities to return to the Bundesliga in the summer for Nagelsmann unless the Borussia Dortmund role comes up or as a potential replacement at Bayer Leverkusen (this is pure speculation).
However, this is not the only manager that could be affected by this move, as it has previously been reported that Xabi Alonso has an agreement with Leverkusen that if there is interest from one of his former clubs (Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern) then he can negotiate with them. The opportunity may arise that Liverpool are interested in bringing the former midfielder back to Anfield but the decision will solely be on Alonso if he wants to continue building something special at Leverkusen and stay until his contract expires in 2026 or decide to join Liverpool.
Depending on what happens at the end of the season, Alonso may believe that he has achieved what there is to achieve in the Bundesliga and take on a new challenge, thus shutting the door on Bayern in the process as the draw of competing for the Champions League could also be achieved elsewhere. This means this ripple effect could impact Bayern if they decide to part ways with Tuchel come the end of the season.
Ultimately, the departure of Klopp will be a big loss for Liverpool due to what he has achieved during his spell at the club.
How impactful this announcement will be down the line, only time will tell.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
