Jurgen Klopp has ruled out the possibility of taking over from Joachim Low as manager of Germany after this summer’s European Championship, with the Liverpool boss fully committed to his contract at Anfield.
The current coach of Die Mannschaft has revealed that he will be stepping down after one more major tournament at the helm, meaning that a prominent post in world football is set to become available.
Inevitably, given his standing in the global game and current struggles for Premier League form, Klopp has been mooted as a potential option for the DFB to explore, but he insists that a deal on Merseyside that is due to run until 2024 will not be broken.
What has been said?
“If that's the question you want to ask, if I'm available for the job: no,” Klopp told reporters when quizzed on links to the Germany job at a press conference to preview Liverpool’s Champions League clash with RB Leipzig.
“Jogi Low did an incredible job for so many years. One of the most successful. I understand he wants to have this highlight of a Euros. And then someone else will do a job. Lots of good German managers.”
He added: “No, I will not be available as a potential coach of the German national team in the summer or after the summer.
“I have three years left at Liverpool. It's a simple situation; you sign a contract and you try to stick to that.”
Why is Klopp’s future being questioned?
One of the most highly-rated managers in the world game has faced more uncomfortable questions of late than he is accustomed to.
That is because the wheels have fallen off a Liverpool bandwagon that appeared to be making serene progress towards more major silverware.
Klopp has delivered Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and Premier League crowns during his time at Anfield, but the 2020-21 campaign is in danger of becoming a write-off.
Liverpool have suffered six successive defeats on home soil for the first time in their history, with a humbling tumble taken down the English top-flight table.
European glory is still there to be shot at, with a 2-0 lead held in a last-16 encounter with Leipzig, but change has been mooted on and off the field.
Klopp has always maintained that he will not be walking away from a challenge, having committed to a long-term deal, and has only ever speculated on taking the Germany job once his ties to Liverpool are severed.
How long has Low been Germany manager?
The DFB are about to enter the coaching market for the first time in 15 years.
Low, who had previously filled an assistant role with the German national side, was handed the reins back in July 2006.
He has taken in 189 games at the helm, winning 120 of those fixtures and suffering just 31 defeats.
An undoubted high was hit in 2014 when, after hitting a stunning run of form, Germany tasted World Cup glory in Brazil.
The Confederations Cup was also landed in 2017, but a forgettable defence to a global crown was offered a year later and struggles – including a 6-0 defeat to Spain – were endured in the latest Nations League campaign.
Goal View - Liverpool correspondent Neil Jones
Getty
That should be that, as far as the rumours are concerned.
No sooner had news of Joachim Low’s summer exit as German national team manager been confirmed, than Jurgen Klopp’s name was being thrown into the mix.
Understandable, but always unlikely.
“I am not available, this summer or after it,” Klopp said a couple of hours later. He has three years left on his contract after this season, and he intends to honour them.
That will be music to the ears of most right-minded Liverpool supporters, and to the club’s owners. Fenway Sports Group have no appetite whatsoever to start considering Klopp’s position as Reds boss, despite a miserable defence of their Premier League crown this season.
There is sympathy and understanding from Boston about the challenges Klopp and his team have faced in this campaign, in particular the scale of the club’s injury crisis, and the German retains the full backing of those who matter at Anfield; the principal owner John W Henry, the chairman Tom Werner and the FSG president Mike Gordon, with whom Klopp shares a particularly close relationship.
Liverpool plan to back the manager in the transfer market this summer, even if they miss out on Champions League football, and there is a strong belief that with a fit and healthy squad, and with football hopefully returning to a more normal rhythm next season, that Klopp can get them challenging again.
Rumours about the Germany job are sure to remain, given Klopp’s profile and the respect he commands in his homeland. And sure, in the future it will be a job which appeals. Indeed, it would be a surprise if he did not one day end up managing his country.
Just don’t expect it to happen any time soon.