Klopp surprises Germany fans: a rising name moves ahead of the Bundesliga top scorer
It seems that Jürgen Klopp, the Germany manager, has settled on the outline of how he ranks his forwards in his plans, but the choice between the available names carries striking surprises, especially as topping the Bundesliga scoring charts has not granted its holder an advantage in the race to secure a starting place with Germany.
According to a report by the newspaper "Sport Bild", Kai Havertz tops Klopp's list of preferred forwards. The 27-year-old remains the undisputed first choice. He held the same role under former coach Julian Nagelsmann, and the new technical staff still trust him too.
Klopp rates Havertz for his tactical understanding, his intelligence in reading the flow of play and his experience at the highest European and international levels. The Arsenal forward has also recovered from the muscle injury he suffered during the German coach's first appearance in Amsterdam. He is ready to feature once again.
The surprise lies in Younes Ben Taleb. The Eintracht Frankfurt man sits second, ahead of Niclas Füllkrug, even though the Werder Bremen forward tops the list of Bundesliga top scorers. Klopp had already called up the 23-year-old for the two previous camps after his club form caught the eye.
Ben Taleb may not have shone in his first appearances in the national team shirt, but his numbers with Frankfurt are striking: 8 goals and two assists in 11 official matches. He ranks among the most prominent rising names in the Bundesliga this season, and that edge pushed him up Klopp's ranking, according to the report.
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Füllkrug came in third despite his superior scoring figures. The Werder Bremen forward has scored 9 goals in the Bundesliga and added 3 more in the German Cup, making him the highest-scoring German forward this season. The 33-year-old missed Klopp's first squad but returned in preparation for the two fixtures against Serbia and the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League.
Klopp sets out the key criterion for his selection
Performance is the key criterion for selection, not age. So Klopp confirmed, though the role awaiting Füllkrug in the next two matches remains unclear. His placing behind Havertz and Ben Taleb means that topping the scoring race was not enough to put him at the front of the queue. In fourth place came Jonathan Burkardt, yet Klopp left the Eintracht Frankfurt forward out of the current squad. Burkardt scored twice in the 2-2 draw against Paderborn, but he then went four league matches without a goal, and that decline may have cost him his call-up.
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Nick Woltemade came in fifth after a difficult year that included his loan to Juventus, before he recently scored his first goal in the Italian league. Klopp rates his technical ability and his skills on the ball, but he believes the 24-year-old needs to increase his threat in front of goal. For the first time since his international debut in June 2025, Woltemade misses out on the squad.
Deniz Undav, the Stuttgart captain, came in sixth after a drop in form compared to last season. He has scored only two goals in 15 matches, down from 25 goals and 14 assists the previous campaign. Klopp told him personally in September that his exclusion was not final, but he needs to regain his full physical fitness.
