Klopp drops Barça’s Adeyemi from Germany squad but names ter Stegen his No. 1
Jürgen Klopp has left Karim Adeyemi out of Germany's Nations League squad, only weeks after starting him in his first game in charge. Barça's other German international, Marc-André ter Stegen, goes the other way as Klopp's chosen goalkeeper for November.
Karim Adeyemi will not travel with Germany this month. Klopp left the Barça winger out of his squad for the final two Nations League group games. Germany face Serbia on November 13 and the Netherlands on November 16. The DFB announced the squad on Thursday, November 5.
Adeyemi loses his place weeks after starting Klopp’s first game
The omission is a clear setback. Adeyemi was in Klopp’s first Germany squad and started the opening game against the Netherlands. This time the coach offered no explanation. He said instead that having more quality available makes selection decisions harder, and called that a good thing, ESPN reported.
Klopp found this squad hard to pick after calling up 44 players in September, because more players had earned a place. Competition in attack has grown. Werder Bremen striker Niclas Füllkrug, who has 24 caps, returns while leading the Bundesliga with nine goals. Borussia Mönchengladbach Under-21 player Wael Mohya earned his first senior call-up. Results add pressure too: Germany won only one of Klopp's first four games.
Adeyemi's club numbers since his summer move from Dortmund are solid on paper. Recent weeks tell a different story. His goals have dried up, and he has played only about 37% of the minutes since the last international break. Those figures are consistent with a player whose role at Barça has narrowed.
He will spend the break at the Ciutat Esportiva instead of travelling. There he can rest and work to win back his place. Barça signed him on a contract to 2031. The move reunited him with Hansi Flick, who gave him his first Germany cap. Adeyemi played an important part in Germany's World Cup qualifying campaign but was left out of the squad for the tournament itself.
Ter Stegen gets Klopp’s backing from his loan at Ajax
Barça's other German international is heading the other way. Ter Stegen is one of three goalkeepers in the squad, alongside Jonas Urbig of Bayern Munich and Alexander Nübel of Beşiktaş. Klopp had rotated all three since taking charge. Now he has made his choice, with ter Stegen as his No. 1 for both games, Bulinews reported.
The goalkeeper remains Barça property. Ajax is his second loan under coach Míchel. The first was a Girona spell where injury restricted him to two appearances. He has made 423 appearances for Barça, 11th on the club's all-time list. Among foreign players, only Leo Messi has more.
For Barça, Germany's backing lands on a goalkeeper the club still owns. For Adeyemi, the path back runs through club football. Barça visit Atlético Madrid at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano at 21:00 on Sunday, November 8. After the break, Villarreal come to Spotify Camp Nou at 14:00 CET on Sunday, November 22, for Matchday 13.
Sources
Mit Füllkrug und Mohya: Bundestrainer Klopp nominiert Kader für Serbien und die Niederlande (DFB)
Klopp drops Adeyemi, Woltemade, adds Mohya for Germany's Nations League squad (ESPN)
Klopp settles Germany's goalkeeping debate ahead of November fixtures (Bulinews)
FC Barcelona sign Karim Adeyemi (FC Barcelona)
