According to DFB sports director Rudi Völler, Sandro Wagner will remain assistant coach of the German national team at least until the 2026 World Cup – and will not move to a Bundesliga club prematurely. “We have clearly agreed and also coordinated with him that he will stay with us until the World Cup,” said the 64-year-old in the “Aktuelles Sportstudio” of the ZDFHe is always in contact with Wagner and of course there are inquiries from time to time. According to rumours, Bundesliga club TSG Hoffenheim is considering hiring Wagner as head coach.
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Coach Pellegrino Matarazzo is under criticism after his team’s poor start to the season, which has only increased after the 2-1 defeat at Union Berlin on Saturday. With only three points from four games, Hoffenheim are just above the relegation zone. The World Cup will take place in Canada, Mexico and the USA in 2026.
Völler on Wagner: “Of course he likes it too”
Völler said that Wagner would first get his coaching license, as he does not yet have a valid license to coach a Bundesliga team. The 36-year-old is currently doing this. The collaboration with national coach Julian Nagelsmann and the other assistant coaches is so wonderful at the moment that Wagner also enjoys it.
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“Of course he also likes it when he is asked from time to time to maybe coach a Bundesliga club somewhere,” said the former DFB team boss. But Wagner is still a young guy, a very likeable coach, “who will certainly have a great future as a coach, especially after the World Cup.” When asked whether he thought it was out of the question that Wagner would move to Hoffenheim in the near future, Völler replied: “Exactly, at the moment. Yes.”
Klopp as Nagelsmann’s successor?
Aside from Wagner, Völler also looked ahead in the “Aktuelles Sportstudio” on Saturday evening and named a logical successor to national coach Nagelsmann: Jürgen Klopp. “I don’t even know what Jürgen would like to do again. But if Julian Nagelsmann were to decide at some point that he would rather coach a top club in Europe or Germany again – of course, there is no way around Jürgen Klopp if he wants to,” said the DFB sports director.
Nagelsmann will have been in office for exactly one year this Sunday and is intensively planning the path to the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. He had extended his contract until the next major event before the home European Championship, which ended with a bitter quarter-final defeat for the DFB team against Spain (1:2 after extra time). The Nations League started well with a 5:0 win against Hungary and a 2:2 draw in the Netherlands.
Klopp left Liverpool FC in the summer after many successful years and is currently on an indefinite coaching break. The 57-year-old has not ruled out ending his career as a coach either. Nagelsmann has always stressed that he would like to work as a club coach again in the future. Völler himself had already announced that he would finish his role as sporting director in North America in just under two years after the World Cup. A year ago, he signed Nagelsmann as his preferred candidate to succeed Hansi Flick as national coach.
Praise for “Wusiala”
When asked about the two German hopefuls Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, Völler was enthusiastic. In his opinion, they can win the title of World Footballer at some point in their careers. “Both have what it takes to do it,” said the 64-year-old. This means they could become successors to superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
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The former DFB team boss praised the qualities of the two national players, who caused a sensation at this year’s European Championship as the magical football duo “Wusiala”. “Both have a golden future,” explained Völler. Next Saturday (6.30 p.m., Sky), Musiala and Wirtz will face each other in a direct duel in the Bundesliga top match between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen.
Sportsbuzzer
