Reunion on the cards
Jurgen Klopp is reportedly targeting Pep Guardiola's final assistant coach at Manchester City as his number two for the Germany national team.
The former Liverpool manager is putting together his backroom staff ahead of what is expected to be his formal appointment as the new Germany boss, and according to Sam Wallace of The Telegraph, he has identified Pepijn Lijnders as his preferred choice.
Lijnders worked alongside Klopp at Liverpool during the club's most successful period, playing a significant role in developing the high-intensity, counter-pressing style that brought Premier League and Champions League titles to Anfield. He then served on Guardiola's final coaching staff at City before the Catalan's departure at the end of last season.
The Dutchman's coaching CV now reads like a who's who of modern football management. Having absorbed methods from two of the most celebrated tacticians of the era, he would arrive at any international setup with a rare breadth of experience.
Trust and continuity
Klopp has never been shy about the importance of personal chemistry in his coaching teams. The report suggests that continuity and trust are driving this potential reunion, with the incoming Germany manager valuing the shared philosophy he and Lijnders developed over years at Anfield.
Whether formal discussions have begun or Lijnders has been approached remains unclear. But the specificity of the reporting points to genuine, active interest rather than a vague background consideration as Germany's new management structure takes shape.
For Manchester City, this is another footnote to the wider coaching reset that has followed Guardiola's exit. Enzo Maresca has assembled his own backroom team for the coming season, and the departure of Guardiola's remaining staff — whether to international football or elsewhere — is an inevitable consequence of such a significant managerial transition.
Klopp and Lijnders have won the Premier League, Champions League and Bundesliga titles between them. Whether that partnership reforms on the international stage now depends on both parties reaching an agreement on the structure and terms of Lijnders's involvement. Given Klopp's appetite for trusted collaborators, the logic appears compelling enough.