Nagelsmann reached an agreement to lead the German team
According to Bild newspaper on September 19, Nagelsmann has reached an agreement to lead Germany until the end of July 2024, the end of the Euro at home. After that, he can return to his club career. The 36-year-old coach will become the youngest coach to lead a team that has won the World Cup four times and won the Euro three times.
According to Bild, Nagelsmann's salary is about 450,000 USD per month. Bayern still has a contract until 2026 with Nagelsmann, but accepted liquidation without asking for compensation, to create conditions for him to take over the German team.
Hansi Flick, Nagelsmann's predecessor, had to leave on September 10 due to performance problems. In his last five matches leading Germany, the former coach suffered four defeats against Belgium, Poland, Colombia, Japan and a draw against Ukraine. Previously, at the 2022 World Cup, Flick's team was also disappointed when they were eliminated in the group stage. Germany ranked third in Group E after losing 1-2 to Japan, drawing 1-1 with Spain and winning 4-2 against Costa Rica.
After Flick left, Rudi Voller took the lead in the friendly match against France 2-1 on September 12. However, the 63-year-old team director does not want to be a long-term coach.
According to Bild, initially, Nagelsmann was not the number one target of the German Football Federation (DFB). This organization only chose the 36-year-old coach after failing to convince Jurgen Klopp to leave Liverpool. Signing a short-term contract with Nagelsmann shows that DFB still believes in the ability to recruit Klopp in the summer of 2024.
When he led Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig, Nagelsmann was considered a prodigy in the coaching world. With these two clubs, he achieved a win rate of 40.4 and 56.8%. However, after moving to Bayern in the summer of 2021, Nagelsmann was not as successful as expected. He achieved a 71.4% win rate with Bayern, but was fired in March due to tactical and dressing room problems.
Nagelsmann will face many challenges with the team. Germany has yet to find a worthy replacement for 37-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and 34-year-old striker Thomas Muller. The relationship between Nagelsmann and Muller is also a complicated matter. When he was leading Bayern, the young coach did not let "number 25" play regularly due to disagreements about tactics.
Before the German Football Federation chose Nagelsmann, a number of former players nominated other coaches. Among them, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm and Michael Ballack all nominated Louis Van Gaal, the coach who helped the Netherlands win bronze medal at the 2014 World Cup and reach the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup.
Nagelsmann and the German team will have four friendly matches at the end of 2023, against the US and Mexico in October and Austria and Turkey in November. Euro 2024 will take place from June 14 to July 14. Because it is the host, Germany does not have to play in the qualifying round.
