Report: Klose could return to Lazio in event of Sarri departure | OneFootball

Reports in Italy claim that former Germany international and Lazio striker Miroslav Klose could return to the club as the next head coach in the event that Maurizio Sarri decides to leave in the near future.

It has been an underwhelming season for Lazio, despite a run to the Coppa Italia, as the team will finish the season somewhere between ninth and 11th place in the Serie A table.

Sarri, who returned to the club on a two-year deal last summer, has made it clear that he is not best pleased with the way the 2025-26 campaign has gone, leaving his future at the Stadio Olimpico uncertain once again.

ROME, ITALY – APRIL 27: Maurizio Sarri, Head Coach of Lazio, looks on during the Serie A match between SS Lazio and Udinese Calcio at Stadio Olimpico on April 27, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

“This season’s situation hasn’t pleased me. I wasn’t listened to at all, and I’m far from happy. Perhaps the club isn’t happy either. Let’s finish the season and see if they have anything to say to me,” Sarri told reporters after the Derby della Capitale defeat against rivals Roma on Sunday.

Outlets in Italy are already beginning to speculate over the coach’s future and the potential candidates that could replace him in the event that he does depart at the end of the season.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, former Lazio striker Klose is among the options to replace Sarri. The all-time leading World Cup goalscorer spent the final five years of his playing career in the Italian capital, registering 54 Serie A goals from 139 outings between 2011 and 2016.

ROME, ITALY – MAY 15: Miroslav Klose of SS Lazio greets the fans after his farewell match against ACF Fiorentina at Stadio Olimpico on May 15, 2016 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Why is Klose an enticing option for Lazio?

Klose took on his first managerial role at the beginning of the 2022-23 season, taking charge of Austrian Bundesliga side Rheindorf Altach before being dismissed in March of 2023.

He took a year out before taking over at 2. Bundesliga side 1. FC Nuernberg in Germany’s second tier, securing a comfortable mid-table finish (10th). Despite being tipped for relegation by many in 2025-26, Klose has improved on last year’s return and secured an eighth-place finish.

DUESSELDORF, GERMANY – OCTOBER 03: Head coach Miroslav Klose of 1. FC Nürnberg looks on prior to the 2. Bundesliga match between Fortuna Düsseldorf and 1. FC Nürnberg at Merkur Spiel-Arena on October 03, 2025 in Duesseldorf, Germany. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)

La Gazzetta dello Sport praises Klose for his inclusion and management of young talents during his time with Nuernberg. His 2024-25 squad was the youngest in all of Germany’s professional divisions, with an average age of around 23.

Nuernberg have also been able to cash in on a number of the youngsters that Klose has brought through: Stefanos Tzimas was sold to Brighton for around €25m in January of 2025, Finn Jeltsch was sold to VfB Stuttgart for around €10m last summer and Caspar Jandar joined Southampton for €12m.

Klose has also made Tino Kusanovic the youngest player in the club’s history at the age of 17 years and 62 days during his Nuernberg spell.

Klose is an individual that Claudio Lotito knows well and appreciates. Lotito is expected to meet with Sarri in the near future to discuss the coach’s future, but for now, the situation remains up in the air.