Manager Jurgen Klopp is set to hold talks with the German Football Association over the appointment of Germany’s next manager, who will work alongside Liverpool star Florian Wirths.
Manager Jurgen Klopp spoke candidly about Florian Wirtz (Image: Magenta TV)
Manager Jurgen Klopp has not been shy about expressing his opinion about Florian Wirths, and the pair are now moving towards working together. The German Football Association (DFB), which announced the resignation of manager Julian Nagelsmann on Friday, has confirmed that it will hold talks with Klopp, who is interested in becoming the next manager.
This follows Germany’s shock exit from the World Cup on Monday, when they lost on penalties to Paraguay in the Round of 32. Mr. Nagelsmann, 38, resigned from his position in September 2023.
His resignation clears the way for Mr Klopp to take over as Red Bull’s global head of football, and the former Liverpool manager’s approach as Red Bull’s global head of football includes a clause allowing him to accept the job in Germany. He arrived from Bayer Leverkusen for a then-British record fee of £115 million, and although his first season at Liverpool was less than stellar, he is undoubtedly one of the players Wirths will work with.
The playmaker made just seven goals and eight assists in 49 appearances under coach Arne Slott, who was sacked in May and replaced by Andoni Iraola. Wirtz was set to help Liverpool retain the Premier League title, with Klopp believing the 23-year-old would make Slott’s side even better.
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In an interview with German broadcaster RTL, Klopp said of Wirtz’s arrival: “It’s going to be really, really great. I’m sure of that… It’s very difficult to strengthen them when you’re champions. But Liverpool have done it. They signed an extraordinary talent in Florian Wirtz.”
And in October, after it became clear Wirtz was struggling to adapt to life in the Premier League, Klopp vowed on The Diary of a CEO podcast: “If you use the wrong words about Florian Wirths, you will eat your words too. He is an incredible talent and player.”
In the same month, Klopp told RTL: “We don’t have to worry about Florian Wirtz, because his quality is very good. Of course, everything is fine and we all know that. It’s true that the debate is blown out of proportion.”
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Florian Wirtz struggled in his first season at Liverpool (Image: Paul ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
He added: “He is a once-in-a-century talent and, as he showed at Leverkusen, at some point he will show it again in every game.[He]has a stable environment at Liverpool and the club is great at moments like this. If anyone is worried, don’t worry! You can stop.”
Klopp recently made the comments about Wirths while working as a World Cup commentator on another German broadcaster, Magenta. He gave hints on how to use Liverpool’s star players to get the best out of them.
“The important thing is that we get him involved in the game. There were moments against Curacao where I thought, ‘Just give him the ball,'” Klopp said, analyzing Germany’s 2-1 win over Ivory Coast.
Germany suffered an early exit from the World Cup (Image: Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)
“If you really want Flo Wirtz to get into the rhythm, if you really want to liven up the field, give him the ball, because that’s when he feels completely at home. It’s important to get him involved because that’s when Flo can feel confident and comfortable on the pitch.”
“He shouldn’t go down and take the ball out of his own penalty area and we expect him to start playing. We have to find moments where we can exploit this position, because with his positioning it creates a lot of space for the players next to him, the full-backs and everyone who can run into that space.”
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