German FA in no rush to replace Loew, Klopp backs Rangnick

BERLIN: The German FA said Thursday it will not rush into naming Joachim Loew’s replacement as head coach, while Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has put forward former RB Leipzig boss Ralf Rangnick.

Loew, 61, confirmed Tuesday he will step down as Germany coach after the European Championship, which is due to finish on July 11 with the final at Wembley.

At a press conference in Frankfurt on Thursday, Loew said it was “time for a change” and new ideas after nearly 15 years in charge.

Liverpool boss Klopp has already ruled himself out and suggested former Leipzig sports director Rangnick.

“Ralf Rangnick would be good. He would have been my first solution,” Klopp told reporters after Liverpool reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday.

Other candidates to replace Loew are Bayern Munich’s Champions League-winning coach Hansi Flick and Germany Under-21 boss Stefan Kuntz.

Rangnick, who masterminded Leipzig’s rise from the fifth tier of German football to the Bundesliga, has signalled his interest.

“It’s a job that leaves no one in Germany indifferent. At the moment I am free,” he told Sky.

Whoever replaces Loew will inherit a Germany team in transition.

The pinnacle of Loew’s career was winning the 2014 World Cup title in Brazil.

However, Germany have struggled over the last three years, crashing out of the group stage at the World Cup in Russia and then suffering a 6-0 hammering by Spain in the Nations League last November.

Germany team director Oliver Bierhoff ruled out the possibility of a foreign coach leading the national team for the first time.

“I see little chance for a foreign coach. As the German national team, we should have a German coach,” said Bierhoff.

“We have good German coaches here and abroad.

“We have absolutely no time pressure. It’s an important decision,” added Bierhoff who made it clear he will not comment on speculation.