USA: Honestly, you can have Klinsmann

Daniel Storey

A row between Jurgen Klinsmann and the head of US soccer means the federation will not stand the manager’s way.

Klinsmann has emerged as the favourite for the England job, with reports suggesting that the Football Association are already talking to the German.

The FA’s three-man panel of chief executive Martin Glenn, vice-chairman David Gill and technical director Dan Ashworth plan to have a shortlist of candidates in the next few days, and it is thought that Klinsmann will be on that list.

Getting Klinsmann out of his contract with the US national team was one of the sticking points over his appointment, but it is now thought that Sunil Gulati, head of US Soccer, will be happy to see Klinsmann poached. It would allow US Soccer to negotiate a compensation deal for a coach who has been close to the sack at various points over his reign.

There is no doubt that Klinsmann has done a good job in the organisational structure of football in the US, but his tactics and team selection have regularly been questioned. We’re not quite sure how this one has snowballed to the stage that the German is actually in pole position to get the gig.

Not only that, but the FA would pay a compensation package and double his wages from his current £1.8m salary. Eesh.

It’s fair to say that Klinsmann is not popular in America…