Klopp pulls off a massive surprise with an Elversberg defender

Jürgen Klopp will, according to the German newspapers, surprise with his very first selection as head coach of Germany by calling up the 23‑year‑old right‑back Felix Keidel of the newly promoted Elversberg. The coach wants to give a fresh impetus to the national team.

Elversberg breaks the established order

Keidel was promoted last season with Elversberg to the Bundesliga and has so far played only three matches at the highest level. He is the regular right‑back of his club and according to Transfermarkt he is valued at 1.2 million euros.

The newly promoted Elversberg has already surprised big names this season: they beat Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen, and lost narrowly to Bayern Munich 1‑2. The victories show that the club can compete with the established top clubs on a limited budget.

German media predict three-way points race in Nations League group

German media label the possible call‑up of Keidel as a gigantic stunt and also report that striker Denis Undav, who scored three times at the 2026 World Cup, despite his fitness, will be left out.

Germany will face the Netherlands, Greece and Serbia in the Nations League at the end of this month, a series that will immediately test the new squad. The matches take place in the last week of September, leaving the coach little time to fine‑tune the squad.

If Klopp actually takes the young defender, it could dramatically alter the composition of the defence and send a signal to the rest of the team. The decision will also fuel the discussion about selecting players from smaller clubs.