Next Germany Manager Odds: Five replacements for Hansi Flick

Hansi Flick’s two-year spell as Germany manager has come to an abrupt end after he was sacked just nine months before the country hosts Euro 2024.

The German Football Association made the decision in the aftermath of a heavy 4-1 defeat to Japan, which left Flick with a disappointing record of 12 wins, seven draws, and six defeats from 25 matches.

Rudi Völler, Hannes Wolf, and Sandro Wagner will team up to oversee Germany against France on Tuesday, but who could the DFB appoint as the permanent replacement for Flick?

We’ve assessed five options in the next Germany manager odds...

Julian Nagelsmann

Julian Nagelsmann is one of the most high-profile managers to be instantly linked to the vacancy, with German outlet BILD reporting that the former Bayern Munich boss is the favourite to replace Flick.

The 36-year-old already has a wealth of experience on his CV from spells at Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig, and most recently Bayern Munich, whom he managed for just under two years, during which he won the Bundesliga and two German Super Cups.

Not only is Nagelsmann available right now but he has the advantage of having worked with a number of Germany’s players at Bayern.

However, it’s been reported that despite losing his job at the German giants back in April, Nagelsmann remains under contract until 2026, meaning the DFB could have to splash out over £10m to break his contract.

While Nagelsmann no doubt has ambitions of managing Germany one day, he probably wouldn't have envisioned this being a realistic option until some time down the line. However, the lure of managing your country at a home tournament will be very strong.

Oliver Glasner

Similarly to Nagelsmann, Oliver Glasner is looking for his next venture in the dugout.

The Austrian spent the last four years managing in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg and Frankfurt; notably leading the latter to Europa League glory in 2021/22, followed by a DFB-Pokal final last season, before departing his post.

Currently linked with Lyon, Glasner is an attractive unemployed option and one that could well be high on Germany's list of targets.

Jurgen Klopp

We can’t mention a vacancy for the Germany job and not include Jurgen Klopp, who has long been coveted by the DFB.

Klopp was linked with the post two years ago after long-serving boss Joachim Low departed, but he stated that he wasn’t available, then in April 2022 he opted to extend his contract at Liverpool until 2026.

In July's interview with The Athletic, Klopp said:

“The job of national coach is and would be a great honour — there’s no question about that.

“The problem that stands in the way of the whole thing is my loyalty. I can’t just leave Liverpool now and say I’ll take over Germany for a short time. That doesn’t work and the request isn’t even there.”

We thought that this would put to bed any chance of Klopp becoming Germany manager until at least 2026, however, the sudden sacking of Flick may change things.

Admittedly, it’s still incredibly difficult to envision Klopp giving up his Reds job, although it has been rumoured that the DFB could put forward an offer to Klopp which allows him to remain in charge of Liverpool. 

Juggling two massive jobs would be a colossal task and an approach is likely to be rebuffed by Klopp.

Rudi Voller

If Germany fail to entice any of their main managerial targets, then they could well look to within and appoint the popular Rudi Voller who was named caretaker for the clash against France, which Germany won 2-1.

As a player, Voller lifted the World Cup trophy in 1990, having finished a runner-up four years earlier. Between 2000 and 2004 he managed the national team who finished runners-up to Brazil at the 2002 World Cup.

Voller would then go on to have blink-and-up-you’ll-miss-it stints at Roma and Bayer Leverkusen, and hasn’t managed in nearly 20 years.

Voller certainly won’t be shy in putting the underperforming players in their place, having already come out and said that “losing 4-1 is a disgrace - they can't s*** their pants now” following the shock nature of defeat.

Louis van Gaal

Whether Germany would ever appoint a Dutch manager is open to debate.

But if they do decide to go down this unlikely route then veteran Louis van Gaal would no doubt relish the opportunity.

Van Gaal has previously had three spells in charge of the Netherlands, whom he led to third place at the 2014 World Cup, and went unbeaten in 20 games - excluding penalties - between August 2021 and December 2022.

The 72-year-old managed Bayern Munich between 2009 and 2011, during which he won both the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal, and reached the 2009/10 Champions League final.

Other potential options include Antonio Conte, Zinedine Zidane, and Miroslav Klose.