Nagelsmann on contract extension: “If it were about money, I'd have gone to a club.”

In an interview with German streaming service Magenta TV broadcast on Thursday afternoon, Bundestrainer Julian Nagelsmann spoke on the driving force behind his recent contract extension with the German FA. 

Some six days after his contract extension with the DFB was confirmed, Bundestrainer Julian Nagelsmann has opened up on what drove his decision to turn down both former club FC Bayern München and “other offers from other clubs”. Nagelsmann spoke on the talk series “Bestbesetzung”, broadcast by German streaming service  MagentaTV on Thursday. The interview made it clear that the 36-year-old felt most at home with the national team program.  

“I didn’t just have Bayern Munich and the DFB,” Nagelsmann revealed, “there were also a few other clubs. I always had a good feeling about the DFB, and that was always my preferred choice. The trust I received here [at the DFB] was very important to me. [German national team director] Rudi Völler has been an important advocate for me and always fought for me. I had a feeling that everyone was behind me here.” 

Nagelsmann noted that the German FA had been attempting to get him to extend his contract even after the disappointing November international break that saw the German national team lose both of their friendlies. Nagelsmann took a very public swipe at his last German club employer in late February, specifically stating that “coaches at Bayern aren’t given much time to build something”.

“As everyone knows, one can earn more with a club,” Nagelsmann said in his interview, “But that wasn’t the primary factor governing my decision. If that had been the driving force, I would have ended up with the club. It’s my job to clarify [my future with the DFB]. This is the right thing for me, my family, and the next two years.”