“It’s clear we need to change something” – How Jürgen Klopp recently hinted at plans for German U21 league

Bulinews.com was present at a media round in Leipzig earlier this month, where Jürgen Klopp hinted that his idea of introducing a U21 league in Germany has progressed further.

Sport Bild recently reported that the German Football League (DFL) is planning to introduce an U21 league starting in the 2026/27 season, aiming to bridge the gap between youth and senior professional football in Germany.

According to the report, the proposal has been developed by an expert group that includes Red Bull head of global soccer Jürgen Klopp, Bayern Munich sporting board member Max Eberl, Eintracht Frankfurt sporting board member Markus Krösche, DFL CEO Marc Lenz, DFB managing director for sport Andreas Rettig and 2014 World Cup winner Sami Khedira.

Former Liverpool manager Klopp first introduced the idea to the public in an interview with Welt am Sonntag last summer, sparking widespread discussion.

And speaking to Bulinews.com and other selected journalists during a media round in Leipzig earlier this month, Klopp suggested that the idea has continued to grow.

“When I started that discussion, I got a lot of wonderful responses,” Klopp told Bulinews.com.

“Everybody picked up the idea. It’s clear we need to change something. Together, we found a solution, even though we don’t know yet exactly how it will look.

“But something will happen, and we’ll try to help young players in a very decisive age group play more often than they do now. Let’s see how we can do that,” Klopp added.

The DFL has not yet commented officially on the matter, with Germany’s professional clubs expected to vote on whether to introduce the U21 league at a general meeting in March.