Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker has praised compatriot Jurgen Klopp, tipping him to succeed in the Premier League.
The Borussia Dortmund boss, who is ‘top level’ according to Mertesacker, announced he would leave the Bundesliga club at the end of the season.
That has led to speculation linking him with a move to the Premier League and Mertesacker believes Klopp would be a success in England. He said:
“I’ve got some nice experiences in the Premier League and of course it would be nice if a German coach would take the challenge of working in the Premier League.”
“It’s not so good for Dortmund that he is leaving but hopefully one day he will manage abroad. I think his passion would fit and to see him in England would be very interesting.”
“Everyone has their philosophy and I think Jurgen Klopp has proved that he’s top-level and can teach a lot.”
“It is obviously sad news for Borussia Dortmund, [he was] such a passionate successful and passionate manager for them. He was the guy who turned it around at Dortmund.
“The whole situation there – he built the squad on young players and they improved so much in the seven years he was in charge. It is a sad situation.
“But in the summer, it will be a new situation for him. Maybe he is going to go abroad and see how it goes there.
“I would love to see more German managers abroad, because it is obviously a new challenge, to adapt to the culture, the language, the system. Yes, why not?
“It is his decision. He worked really hard and pushed really hard, so even if he said he is not tired, maybe he takes a bit of breather to fuel his energy and his batteries?
“But I am curious what happened to him because he was an outstanding figure in the Bundesliga in the last couple of years and always a title contender. They went to the Champions League final. It will be interesting to see what happens in the summer.”