After a string of disappointing performances, the German media has called for Jurgen Klopp to succeed Hansi Flick as manager of Germany before Euro 2024.
The idea that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp might quit the Reds to become the new manager of Germany has been rejected by Klopp’s agent.
Germany have already qualified because they will host the European Championships next summer. However, that hasn’t stopped the current manager, Hansi Flick, from coming under pressure following a string of disappointing results in friendlies.
In August 2021, Die Mannschaft hired the former Bayern Munich manager despite links to Klopp at the time. However, Flick has come under fire after a winless June international break that saw Germany draw 3-3 with Ukraine in Bremen despite trailing 3-1 with less than 10 minutes remaining, lose 1-0 to Poland in Warsaw, and then lose 2-0 to Colombia in Gelsenkirchen after Liverpool forward Luis Diaz opened the scoring.
Germany, who experienced a shocking World Cup group-stage exit last winter, is winless in their last four games after also dropping 3-2 to Belgium in Cologne in March. Flick’s team has only won five of their 17 games since the beginning of 2022, not counting a lackluster performance in last year’s Nations League.
Didi Hamann, a former midfielder for Liverpool, has urged the national team to “act now” and fire Flick because he has “lost the trust of the players.”
He said to Sky Germany, “You have to act now because there is such a high risk that this will go wrong with him. It’s moving quickly in the wrong direction.
The players no longer have faith in him.
“If the boys are willing to put themselves in danger for him, they will do it themselves if it’s right for the team. Currently, that is not the case.”
German news outlet BILD issued an SOS on Wednesday urging Klopp to depart Liverpool and succeed Flick. The Reds manager was hailed as the “premium solution” by journalist Matthias Bruegelmann, who wrote: “He was sounded out already after the exit in Qatar – but in vain.
“The DFB must use all of its resources to fight for him because he felt it was his duty to guide Liverpool out of the crisis. By bringing in Klopp, Germany would now experience Euro euphoria.”
However, the same publication recently spoke with Klopp’s agent, Marc Kosicke. He has also made it clear that the German will not leave Liverpool.
According to him, “Jurgen has a long-term contract with the LFC, and the DFB has a national coach. Therefore, it’s not at all a problem for us.”
Of course, Klopp has expressed similar sentiments before, most recently when, prior to Flick’s appointment, he was mentioned as a potential successor to Joachim Low after the 2020 European Championship.
“No,” he replied, “I’m not available for the job in the summer. I won’t be able to coach the German team if one is needed.
“It’s simple, I still have three years at LFC. You commit to a contract when you sign it. At Mainz and Dortmund, I stayed true to my agreements.”
The two-year extension to Klopp’s contract that was made in April 2022 keeps him at Liverpool through the end of the 2025–2026 season.
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Mohamed Salah next career move is clear after ‘devastated’ Liverpool message
When it comes to major career moves, it seems June is the preferred month for Mohamed Salah.
It was on this day six years ago when the Egypt international signed for Liverpool from Roma, becoming the most expensive Reds player in history at the time when he joined on a five-year deal for an initial £36.9m.
Another major milestone for Salah would await him five years down the line when he penned the most lucrative contract ever signed at Liverpool having established himself as one of the greatest players of the modern era.
The man who has become affectionately known as ‘the Egyptian King’ by Liverpool fans ended months of intense speculation last year after a delegation from the club had flown in to see Salah at his apartment on the Greek island of Mykonos a few days earlier to thrash out the terms that left the Reds’ top scorer of the last six seasons in no doubt about how much he is valued at Anfield.
But while those June developments of 2017 and 2022 were hugely positive from Liverpool’s perspective, the latest murmurings from the apparent football revolution over in Saudi Arabia will be much less welcome, even if they might only induce an eye-roll from those concerned at present.
Having seemingly secured Wolves captain Ruben Neves in recent days, it is Manchester City star Bernardo Silva who is the latest big name in the crosshairs for the Saudi Professional League.
While the Portugal international is behind Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne in City’s galaxy of stars, the capture of Silva would still represent the most significant signing of this apparent new dawn.
While Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly one of the greatest footballers of all time, his move to Al Nassr in November of last year was completed at the age of 37, while Karim Benzema, the current Ballon d’Or holder, switched from Real Madrid to Saudi champions Al Ittihad having celebrated his 35th birthday last December.
While both players are still capable of operating with distinction at the elite level, ageing stars moving to less demanding leagues for eye-watering, short-term pay-days is not a new trend in football.
The difference with Saudi Arabia’s new-found determination to raise the profile of their top league, it seems, is that they are targeting major European-based players in their prime.
Silva – at the age of 28 and having just helped inspire Man City to a Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup treble – is just that. His potential exit from the Etihad would be a landmark moment for modern football, to an extent.
Unsurprisingly, given the extent of the ambition that now exists in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the aggressive, spendthrift nature of their pursuits, Salah is said to be high on the shortlist.
“Let’s hope that Bernardo Silva, from Manchester City, arrives,” said Hafez Al-Medlej, an official of the Saudi Pro League, this week. “We must also start working on the signing of Mohamed Salah since he is overwhelmingly popular in the Arab world and in Europe. I think Salah still has records to break with Liverpool, so I hope that if he doesn’t come now he will in the future.”
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Salah is the posterboy of Egypt and the Middle East in general when it comes to football, with his popularity resulting in a surge in Liverpool’s supporter-base out in the Arabic regions of the world.
And while there is no questioning the aspirations of Al-Medlej when it comes to looking to entice a star of Salah’s magnitude to the KSA, he was at least gracious enough to concede that Liverpool’s No.11 still has many goals to accomplish on Merseyside.
The former Roma wideman has never shied away from his wish to become the club’s all-time top scorer. Having taken that particular mantle for the Premier League era thanks to two goals in the 7-0 win over Manchester United in March, Salah now sits fifth in the all-time list with his 186 goals, still 160 short of Ian Rush’s record. The pair have grown close off the pitch in recent years and Rush is regularly subjected to tongue-in-cheek threats from Salah about his historic tally.
Salah, who turned 31 last week, is devoted to making the most of his talents at the top level of the game and such a mindset was why he was quick to post to social media when it was confirmed last month that Liverpool would be spending at least a season outside of the Champions League following their fifth-place finish.
“I’m totally devastated,” he tweeted. “There’s absolutely no excuse for this. We had everything we needed to make it to next year’s Champions League and we failed. We are Liverpool and qualifying to the competition is the bare minimum. I am sorry but it’s too soon for an uplifting or optimistic post. We let you and ourselves down.”
Sources within the club spoke about Salah’s desire and belief to repeat what he preceded the contract signing last year and his 30-goal haul during a difficult campaign as a whole for the Reds last time out is indicative of that mindset from the now 31-year-old.
With a major season approaching Jurgen Klopp and his team – as they look to ensure last term was a one-off dip – Salah will be too focused on the here and now to be worrying about exorbitant offers from Saudi Arabia.
