Klopp to call up Felix Kejdel after rapid rise from Third League

Jurgen Klopp has surprised the football world by including 23-year-old Felix Kejdel on an expanded Germany squad list despite the midfielder having played only three Bundesliga matches so far.

Rapid rise from the lower leagues

Klopp's decision, announced ahead of his first match in charge, has been described in German media as startling. Germany, who share a Nations League group with Serbia, travel to Amsterdam for Klopp's debut as coach on 24 September against the Netherlands.

Kejdel is a recent signing for newly promoted SSV Elversberg. He left FC Ingolstadt — where he was playing in the German Third League less than a year ago — and joined Elversberg in the summer of 2025 for a reported fee of €400,000. He helped his club secure a sensational place in the Bundesliga and made his top-flight debut in August against Bayer Leverkusen.

One week after that debut he was involved in an extraordinary comeback at Borussia Mönchengladbach (from 1:3 to 4:3), and at the following weekend he produced an eye-catching performance against Bayern Munich. Those three appearances in the Bundesliga are the foundation for Klopp's gamble.

Kejdel has never appeared for any of Germany's youth national teams, which commentators have labelled a "blitz-career (lightning career)", but Klopp's track record of spotting potential helped convince observers that the call-up is not without merit.

The new Germany coach is due to publish his first full squad on Thursday, 17 September 2026, when the final roster for the Nations League fixtures will be confirmed.

Photo: press material from the event