Jürgen Klopp's Plans for Germany: Said El Mala's Inclusion

Jürgen Klopp is set to put his own stamp on Germany straight away – and Said El Mala looks poised to be one of the first big calls of his tenure.

According to Kicker, the new national team boss plans to include the 1. FC Köln winger in his maiden squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures, with the list due to be unveiled on Thursday. For El Mala, 20 years old and rising fast, it would be another step towards a long-awaited debut.

Julian Nagelsmann got there first. The former Germany coach brought El Mala into the senior setup for the first time in November last year, a clear nod to his potential. But the cap never came. He watched, he waited, and then he went back to Köln still uncapped, but clearly noticed.

Since then, his trajectory has only sharpened.

El Mala burst through in the Bundesliga last season, delivering 13 goals and five assists across 34 league games. Those are not cameo numbers; those are “build-the-attack-around-him” numbers for a club fighting to stay relevant in the top flight.

He has already picked up where he left off. On the opening weekend of the new campaign, he scored in Köln’s breathless 3-2 win over Hoffenheim, again underlining his knack for decisive moments in tight games. Illness then kept him out of the 4-1 loss to Stuttgart, a reminder of how quickly momentum can stall for a young player. But he returned at the weekend, coming off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen to get minutes back into his legs.

Now comes the next test: whether Klopp turns a planned call-up into a genuine role.

If the report holds, El Mala will walk back into the Germany camp not as a novelty inclusion, but as one of the Bundesliga’s most productive young attackers – and as a symbol of the fresh, aggressive approach Klopp is expected to bring to the national team.