Jurgen Klopp has praised potential new Liverpool sporting director Jorg Schmadtke, describing him as a ‘good guy and a smart guy’. Schmadtke is expected to replace Julian Ward at Anfield this summer after leaving Wolfsburg in February after four years with the Bundesliga club. Klopp, who is also from Germany, spoke highly of Schmadtke’s work in the Bundesliga, saying he had been ‘very, very successful’.
Klopp said: ‘I cannot speak about that but if it happens it would not be a ‘Jurgen Klopp signing’ because we are both German or both know each other. That would have nothing to do with it. Jorg Schmadtke I’ve known for a long, long time, he probably knows me not as long as I know him because he was a much better player but we started in a similar moment, our ‘second career’, I became a coach at Mainz and he became a sporting director at Aachen, two teams at similar stages, from there we’ve known each other a little bit. I know he’s a good guy and a smart guy. Very good at what he did in Germany, definitely, very, very successful. Character is good, personality is good, humour good, I know that from a few moments next to the pitch.’
Klopp went on to compare Schmadtke to his former sporting director at Borussia Dortmund, Michael Zorc, saying they were of similar age group and situation. He concluded by saying that there are ‘some good sporting directors in Germany you might not believe’.