Expensive player hits DFB squad, lifts market values, Jürgens' pick

Ralf Ibing captured this from an empty training ground, while the first international matches of the German national team under the 59‑year‑old new head coach Jürgen Klopp are imminent. Tomorrow, on Thursday, the DFB will announce the squad for the international break at the end of September/early October 2026 – a moment that has the whole nation on edge.

Squad announcement and possible size

The official date for the squad nomination is clear: On tomorrow's Thursday the big mysteries will finally be revealed. Traditionally, a German national team squad comprises about 26 players, as with the last World Cup squad, but experts are already speculating about an XXL squad of 30 up to even 40 players.

Market‑value based dream lineup

To answer the question of who would make the squad based purely on market‑value orientation, a fictional version was created that exclusively considers the current market values as of 16 September 2026 (according to transfermarkt.de) while ignoring performance, profile and current injuries. In this scenario only one goalkeeper, Noah Atubolu of Eintracht Frankfurt, would be taken into account.

The resulting top‑eleven of the most expensive players could look like this: Noah Atubolu, Matthias Bisseck, Nico Schlotterbeck, Robin Brown, Luka Pavlovic, Karim Nmecha, Maximilian Karl, Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, Kai Havertz and Florian Woltemade.

Total value and fan reaction

Since a goalkeeper is essential, Said El Mala would be dropped from the most expensive top‑eleven and replaced by Atubolu. If Germany were to field this starting eleven, the total market value would amount to a staggering €695 million – a sum that even the boldest financial analysts would be surprised by.

Some fans have already indicated that they would fully support this lineup because it reflects the pure value of the players. The discussion about the possible size of the squad and the market‑value logic is likely to gain further momentum on Thursday, once the official squad is published.