Julian Nagelsmann quits Germany job as replacement already decided | Football | Sport

Julian Nagelsmann has resigned from the German national team, paving the way for Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp to replace him. Nagelsmann initially declared that he would not quit after Germany’s World Cup round of 32 exit at the hands of Paraguay. But on Thursday he was advised by the German Footall Association (DFB) to resign voluntarily following a lengthy meeting in Frankfurt during which he sought to explain the country’s early elimination.

His arguments were not enough to convince the likes of Bernd Neuendorf, Andreas Rettig, Hans-Joachim Watzke and Rudi Voller that he should stay on. But he will depart his job with a severance package of around £6million (€6m) according to BILD. Klopp is the favourite to replace Nagelsmann, 38, after two years away from the touchline. The 59-year-old former Mainz and Borussia Dortmund head coach is keen to take the job in what would be his first-ever venture into international football. He is understood to have dreamt previously of managing his country, and his contract with Red Bull – for whom he works as the Head of Global Soccer – has an exit clause to allow him to take over the Germany national team.

Paraguay – a nation ranked 31 places below Germany by FIFA – won the penalty shootout (4-3) after a 1-1 draw as Die Mannschaft lost on spot-kicks at a World Cup for the first time in their history. They have not won a knockout match at a World Cup since winning it last, in Brazil in 2014.

Speaking immediately after Germany’s exit, Nagelsmann explained he had no plans to walk away. He said: “I am not someone who runs away. This is not the first time this has happened, and there are some things about today that need to be changed. But if the DFB wants me to continue, I am going to continue.

“I know the mechanics of football, I know how the industry works. I know a lot of people will want me to leave but I would love to continue if the football association wants me to.

“If we did a survey today in Germany people would not speak positively about me today. But in football you win some and you lose some, it’s always been that way, we haven’t really done much in this tournament to make people celebrate, but I have a lot of confidence that we could have done a better job.

“But I don’t think that everyone in Germany will agree with me staying on as manager of the Mannschaft. It was very difficult because they were ultra-defensive. We didn’t give enough. When you exit the World Cup after you play Paraguay then it is very bitter. If you do not score many goals then it is not enough. It is very hurtful.”

Klopp has been working as a pundit during the World Cup on German TV channel Magenta. Asked about the speculation he could replace Nagelsmann after the Paraguay loss, Klopp replied: “I understand that my name is being mentioned. But this isn’t the moment to talk about it – and certainly not with me.”

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He added: “There are 500,000 ways to win a football match. You just have to find one. There was only one goal, one dream, and that’s been shattered. It was dramatic. We didn’t function and didn’t create enough.

“We all know how well the lads can play, but they didn’t bring that to the pitch. In three months we’ll be raving about Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala again, about how great they are. But not now.

“We can talk about the DFB. We absolutely have to change a few things. We can start with the U10s and wait a few years to see what happens at the top level.”

And Klopp’s expected appointment has already received the approval of Germany legend and World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger. “I believe that it will happen,” Schweinsteiger said when asked if Klopp will be the next manager. “Of course, nothing is certain yet. But I have a feeling that it will likely happen that way.

“If Jurgen Klopp were to become national coach, he would also bring such a power base with him. The DFB is already in a state of emergency, and I have the feeling that it will happen. After an exit like that, it is always the case that you have to talk about the coach.

“I believe that Jurgen Klopp is a great coach and that he can create a sense of new optimism. I think that would be very important with a view to the European Championship. My ex-colleagues say to me that we have lost our DNA.

“We made the mistake years ago of only looking for footballing solutions. We have given up or neglected our own strengths and virtues for which we were respected abroad. We have made big mistakes in the past and now we have been eliminated early three times at a World Cup; that is no longer a coincidence.”