Said El Mala: The Future of German Football Under Klopp
Lothar Matthäus did not hesitate. Standing by the touchline after Köln’s gritty 1–1 draw with Werder Bremen, he looked at Said El Mala and saw a player made for the new era.
“He is definitely a player for Jürgen Klopp. He would also have been a player for Julian Nagelsmann,” he told Sky. A simple line, but loaded with meaning.
The talent that slipped past Nagelsmann
Nagelsmann was the first to pull El Mala into the senior Germany setup, calling him up in November 2025 after his rapid rise at Köln. It felt like the start of something. It still hasn’t properly begun.
The Germany Under-21 international – seven caps, one goal – is yet to make his senior debut. He watched the World Cup from afar, left out of the final squad in a decision that stunned plenty inside German football. Even when Bayern Munich teenager Lennart Karl suffered a serious injury on the eve of the tournament, the door stayed shut. Assan Ouedraogo of RB Leipzig got the nod instead.
Matthäus has not forgotten that call. And he does not buy the idea that it was purely about football.
“Maybe he didn't take him because there would have been too much fuss around him,” Matthäus said. “But that's exactly what we need. A player like him with this pace uses his strengths. He has strengths that you need to be right at the top.”
In other words: the noise around El Mala is a feature, not a bug.
A wild summer, a sharp response
The last transfer window only cranked up that noise. A move to FC Brentford was reportedly turned down. Borussia Dortmund circled. Then, in a twist few expected, El Mala signed a surprise contract extension with Köln.
If there was any doubt about his response, he settled it on the opening weekend. A goal in the 2–1 win over Hoffenheim, the kind of direct, aggressive performance that has become his calling card.
The momentum stalled briefly. Illness ruled him out of the 1–4 defeat at Stuttgart. A knock meant he started on the bench against Werder, only entering for the final 15 minutes. Even so, his presence changed the tone of the night. Suddenly Köln had a runner, a threat, a spark.
Coach Rene Wagner knows exactly what is at stake for his winger with the national team in flux.
“He has already been involved,” Wagner said of El Mala’s DFB prospects. “There has not yet been any exchange. Said now wants to perform in order to put himself forward. Unfortunately from the bench today, but we have great hope that he gives us plenty of energy.”
Inside the dressing room, the verdict is even more vivid. Goalscorer Linton Maina summed it up in one line: at least “a rocket is still coming off the bench.”
Köln sit 11th in the Bundesliga with four points, steady rather than spectacular. One more assignment awaits before the season pauses for the first international break: an away trip to Hamburger SV. For El Mala, it doubles as a final audition.
On Thursday, Jürgen Klopp names his first Germany squad.
Klopp’s first big call
The question hangs over the DFB like floodlights over a night game: will Klopp bring in El Mala?
According to Sky, the answer is leaning towards yes. The broadcaster has reported for weeks that Klopp wants to rely on the Köln forward, sees huge potential in him, and intends to back him from the very start of his reign.
Klopp did little to dampen that impression at his inaugural press conference at the end of July. He made it clear that the door is wide open for new faces. He also underlined where he believes modern games are decided.
“Because every opponent can make the pitch very narrow. The only advantage you have is for a brief moment out wide. The playmakers of the modern era are out wide,” Klopp said.
That sentence could have been written with El Mala in mind. From an attacking standpoint, he is almost a prototype for Klopp football: blistering pace, sharp dribbling, direct routes to goal. The caveat is obvious and non-negotiable. Under Klopp, what he does without the ball – his work in counter-pressing, his aggression in the first seconds after losing possession – will matter just as much as his sprints towards goal.
If he embraces that, he does not just fit the system. He becomes one of its weapons.
Nations League and a new stage
The schedule waiting for Klopp’s Germany leaves no time for a gentle introduction. The Nations League begins with a trip to Amsterdam to face the Netherlands on 24 September. Three days later comes his first home game in Augsburg against Greece on 27 September.
Then it ramps up again: Serbia in Munich on 1 October, Greece away in Thessaloniki on 4 October.
It is a demanding run, but also a window of opportunity. Fresh ideas, fresh legs, fresh fear for opposing full-backs.
By Thursday evening, El Mala will know whether his name is on that list. By early October, the rest of Europe may know whether Matthäus was right: that Germany have been sitting on a player built for the very top – and for Klopp’s touchline, not the bench.
