Germany: Nagelsmann close to leaving, Klopp favorite to succeed him (media)

Julian Nagelsmann could leave his post as Germany's coach very soon after the early elimination from the World Cup, according to the Bild newspaper, while other media outlets claim that Jürgen Klopp is the favorite to succeed him.

Bild reports a meeting of nearly three hours between Nagelsmann and the leaders of the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday, after Germany's elimination in the round of 32 of the World Cup against Paraguay, a third consecutive fiasco in the final phase after 2018 and 2022 (eliminations from the group stage each time).

DFB President Bernd Neuendorf announced on Tuesday an examination of the reasons for this failure.

According to Bild, Nagelsmann spoke with Neuendorf, the sporting director of the German national team Rudi Völler, the president of the Bundesliga Hans-Joachim Watzke and the director of the DFB Andreas Rettig.

Nagelsmann gave his perspective on Germany's World Cup performance. The team's poor performance and the atmosphere at their training camp in Winston-Salem, which has been heavily criticized since, were also discussed. According to Bild, the club's management then offered Nagelsmann the opportunity to resign, giving him time to consider his options. Nagelsmann's contract runs until 2028.

A decision must be made "no later than the beginning of next week", and according to information from SID, a German sports news agency and subsidiary of AFP, nothing is expected to be announced before Thursday.

Former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp is the overwhelming favorite to succeed Nagelsmann, according to several media outlets including Sky and the major Munich daily Süddeutsche Zeitung.

According to German media, Klopp is ready for the job. He is still under contract with Red Bull as global football director, overseeing the various clubs within the Austrian energy drink company's network.

AFP