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Report: Jurgen Klinsmann linked to Everton job

Jurgen Klinsmann USMNT Guatemala 70

Jurgen Klinsmann’s current task is preparing the U.S. Men’s National Team for the upcoming Copa America, but rumors have emerged linking the USMNT head coach with a surprise move to the Premier League.

ESPN TV announcer Ian Darke sparked the latest rumor regarding Klinsmann on Wednesday, revealing that he is hearing “persistent rumors” linking Klinsmann to English Premier League club Everton.

https://twitter.com/IanDarke/status/720192693654196229

The Toffees currently sit 14th in the Premier League under current manager Roberto Martinez, who has come under increased scrutiny as Everton has seen its season fall apart.

Klinsmann has been linked to Everton before, having been named as a potential successor to David Moyes back in 2013.

Both Klinsmann and Martinez have faced their share of criticism for their sides’ recent performances. Klinsmann’s USMNT recently overcame Guatemala after losing to the Central American nation for the first time in nearly 30 years. Martinez has been rumored to be on his way out amid Everton’s continued struggles — the Toffees have won just nine Premier League games all season.

Klinsmann’s contract with U.S. Soccer was extended in 2013, with the German-born head coach signing through 2018.

What do you think of the report? Believe Klinsmann could be heading to Everton? Do you expect him to remain with the USMNT through the 2018 World Cup?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Great news for the US soccer program if this were true. Alas, I am afraid there is no substance to this rumor. Klinsmann has no standing in Europe.

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  2. Checked out some English odds sights and Ian Darke doesn’t seem to be moving the betting line much. None have JK in the top 5 most likely and several don’t even have him listed. Moyes ,Laudrup, Bielsa, and Pelligrini all seeming more likely to the bookmakers anyway.

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  3. hearing the news, gulati scrambles to offer klinsmann a 4-year contract extension worth one–no, TWO– gazillion dollars.

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  4. Love him or hate him, JK’s departure will create ripple effects across the MNT coaching and player pool. Imagine a new CEO/supervisor taking over at your organization. There is always a rough transition period to work with, regardless of individual. Doesn’t matter who replaces JK, should he depart. WC qualifying will *not* be assured for reasons already observed on the playing field this WC cycle.

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    • Thanks Captain Obvious!
      Actually, soccer teams tend to do better when a new coach takes over.
      Besides, how much worse can it get? We just lost to Guatemala

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      • As I recall, JK’s first few friendlies didn’t go so well the first few go outs. Arguably, fans have complained about zero improvement from JK’s tenure. Throwing ideas: Bob Bradley’s Staebeck and Le Havre teams started slowly and didn’t initially light things up. With Bradley explicitly stating his team (Le Havre) has room to improve. Since Bradley took over, Le Havre moved from 4th to 3rd place (and still several points shy of promotion by a margin). Don’t forget Aston Villa and Sunderland managerial changes–I don’t see an appreciable improvement there. I suppose what’s obvious to you is actually more subtle and complex than you imagine.

    • You must be a Liverpool fan if you want Landon to come out of retirement to play for Everton. He can even beat out Spray Dan and Hat Trick Rick on his men’s league team.

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  5. Klinsmann’s house in Newport Beach in on the market. There was a shirt article about it in the Orange County Register. I read it when I was back home visiting my mom.

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  6. We like to complain about Jk’s salary, but I saw an article on Goal yesterday that said Capello was paid 16.5 million euros by Russia in annual salary and he’s not even the coach anymore (its believe he got as much as 35 million in buyout so this might be a chunk of that total the article didn’t stipulate).

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    • First, I’m not sure why we would use Russia as a model for anything ever. Second, JK’s salary is enormous only in comparison to his predecessors who provided comparable results, if not better, for a fraction of the salary. I have no problem paying the USMNT coach a lot of money but only if he adds value. At least since Brazil, JK has this team playing as poorly as it has played in a long time.

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    • I don’t know if the salary and/or any buyout are relevant if he wants to walk. The parties sit down and agree to tear up the deal, each side gets a fresh start, no one owes either anything. It’s only if he attempts or feigns loyalty that he can extract full term salary or a buyout, in which case I’d expect us to demand he sit out the contract term. If he wants to coach next season I’d think his smarter move is walking our compensation and getting whatever decent change Everton is waving.

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  7. I dont see JK making this move, it seems it would be lateral at best but more likely a step down in terms of prestige. I know the USMNT is not a storied program but it is one that allows for an almost guaranteed spot on the biggest stage and for him to be the face of the organization. Everton, while a quality run organization, does not offer the prestige , or even champions league.

    Also be careful what you wish for, grass aint always greener. It easy to kick JK right now and he does deserve his share of criticism. But to act like he has been a complete failure and ignore his success is disingenuous at best.

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      • To answer my own question, Dettmar Cramer coached the US for 2 games in 1974 and then went on to win two European Cups with Bayern.

      • He also went 0-0-2 which of course was normal for the US who went 20-7-52 before he was hired and the US was on an 0-0-12 streak between 1973-76.

    • I think most of the rest of the world would see it as a step up. National team managers are generally not as revered as club coaches unless they win a world cup or major tournament. Club managers are certainly much more famous.

      Nat managers also have so much more downtime that’s spent scouting certainly and planning, but very little time is spent coaching. Club football allows for continual training, tactics, and development that just aren’t part of National team football. And if you need a LB instead of converting midfielders or forwards, you just can buy a new one from somewhere else.

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    • Here’s what everyone seems to be overlooking. Klinsmann’s wife is from southern California and they live in one of the beach communities south of LA I believe. He’s getting a good salary and has a lot more time off than a club team coach does. Why would he give that up, and probably p,o. his wife to move to Liverpool?

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      • Because coaches tend to be incredibly competitive people and they like challenges. National team coaching is a lot of sitting around and waiting with virtually no time to implement tactics or training regimens.

      • Lets all chip in and start saving some money for a therapist for our good friend Gary Page. I can’t imagine the depression that will set in for him if Jurgen were to leave the USMNT for Everton. 😉

      • UCLA guy–I’m not expressing a desire, just a prediction on what he will do based on an objective look at the facts. An objective look at the facts appears to be something you are incapable of. I don’t care one way or the other if he leaves, but I strongly suspect that there would not be any noticeable long term change in the performance of the US team.

    • Klinsmann was linked with Galatasaray in 2014 and several teams since, I think he is keeping his options open. I think it would also offer US Soccer and him a contractual “out,” Klinsmann resigns and we accept it, he gets none of the balance but he can move on, we can get a better coach to confront the Hex, and do so with a few games’ preparation this summer and fall so we can bed in new ideas and selections.

      Klinsmann is stuck in a tactical and selection loop where he seems out of ideas how to improve the team, and doesn’t always field the best team with the best strategy. The defensive selections for Guatemala away in particular were horrifying. Arena would have to work within the same pool of players, yes, and would face a stern Hex contest in a potential down ebb, but I see him as clearer minded and more likely to fix what he can best he can accomplish within our pool.

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  8. Please oh please oh please let it be true. We are out from under his big contract and can move forward. I’d even take Arena back at this point.

    I bet Jozy and MB are shaking on this one

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    • Yeah in retrospect I find the timing of Arena’s podcast comments interesting. Former coaches and players don’t usually engage in much public meddling with the current team. But he used some formulation like, I wouldn’t campaign to get him fired but I’d consider the job. If he’s heard the same rumors and believes them to be true, his comments reconcile if Klinsmann may simply walk.

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      • A little less than a year ago in the LA Times, the talk was whether Arena was going to retire and, as I recall, he said he was coaching the next season (2016), but didn’t know about after that. Now you have him taking over the national team until 2018? Arena will be 65 in September of this year. People see what they want to see.

    • Well, Arena said he doesn’t think the national team has improved in past few years.

      Unfortunately most observers held the same opinion back in 2006, when Arena was manager. Surely we can at least aim higher.

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  9. Please, let this be true. And please, Gulati, don’t replace him with another hubristic, overpaid prima dona (who already had a book written about how lame he was…if only you had read it)

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  10. Don’t let the door hit you…

    We have plenty of good, young American coaches now that can at least do as well as Klinsmann has. Porter, Vermes, Kreis, etc.

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  11. Interesting. I’ve thought for a while that Martinez would make a great successor to Klinsmann as USMNT manager.

    Martinez is also a media savvy guy. Maybe he’d have more success than Klinsmann at putting pressure on MLS to improve their quality of play.

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    • Yeah- it is certainly a good thing if he and the commissioner have a good working relationship, each promoting the other, but…. THAT would be a trick as the manager of the NT has no authority over MLS whatsoever.

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    • What in the world has Martinez done to show that he would be a good manager of the USMNT? The FA Cup run was nice, but in a season where his team was relegated…. Guiding Everton to 14th? Looking good and giving analysis on ESPN during the World Cup?

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    • I am sorry but MLS has improved leaps and bounds over the years, including recent years. While the quality of the academies is debatable, I think MLS first team quality is a scapegoat for a coach who seems to be running low on ideas.

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      • A good deal of that success is related to better scouting of Central American, South American, and African countries. How many Americans were in the starting 11 for LA (our most successful franchise) and Portland the defending champs last weekend? The answer 10 out of 22.

  12. We will throw in Michael Orozco as well for free and Andy Herzog plus allocation money and TAM as well. Plus 2 conditional 4th round picks for the next 5 years.

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