The Liverpool gaffer will be available for work this summer after announcing he will step down from his current role
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant has implored the FA to move swiftly to make Jurgen Klopp the somewhat-resistible opportunity to become the next England manager.
The Reds boss announced on Friday morning that he will be leaving the club this summer, citing a desire to avoid becoming completely burnt out after almost nine years in the job.
That has prompted plenty of unsolicited advice and speculation about where Klopp might end up next, with the vacancy Julian Nagelsmann will leave in the German national team following Euro 2024 already inevitably put forward as a possibility.
Jermaine Pennant played for Liverpool in the 2007 Champions League final (Image credit: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Unusually for a former right winger, Pennant has thrown in a more left-field option for Klopp: take over from Gareth Southgate instead.
Pennant told betting site Lord Ping, "Klopp knows England, he knows the players and the style. I think England would be crazy to not try and tap him up, he knows all the best youngsters and he knows how to get the best out of them. His teams have played against them all. He knows more than anyone about them and how they play.
"He knows the English game well and he has an attacking style, his teams are always on the front foot. So as an England fan I think they would be crazy not to throw the kitchen sink at him. With the talent we have got, maybe we could win the World Cup in 2026.
"Any manager would be tempted with a strong team at a World Cup, especially when England have the players to win a World Cup.
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"If they come knocking and the deal is right, he’s not putting too much on his body, so I think it would make sense for Klopp. There will definitely be a bidding war but England will be stupid to miss this boat."
Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.
