Jurgen Klopp removes himself from the running for Die Mannschaft manager — for now

In a press conference Tuesday morning, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp pulled himself from consideration for replacing Germany manager Joachim Löw following the European Championships.

The former manager at Bayern Munich rival Borussia Dortmund said that he does not wish to take over the national team at this stage of his career:

When asked about whether he would take the role, Klopp said: “Am I available for the coach of the German national team in the summer? No.

“Joachim Low did an incredible job. I’m sure the German FA will find a good solution.”

The emphasis in this statement could lie on the words “in the summer” and might therefore mean that were Klopp available in the years to come, he’d consider taking the job. However, with his Liverpool team having won two major trophies in their last two seasons (Champions League in 2019, Premier League in 2020), it makes perfect sense that Klopp wouldn’t wish to leave Merseyside and the club game anytime soon.

Now comes the question of who the DFB will look at to replace Löw. There are a number of more than qualified candidates — with betting odds already beginning to line up — and Klopp was widely considered one of the favorites. The waiting game begins as the wheel of speculation turns faster than ever before.