New u-21 league planned in Germany: Klopp and Khedira spearhead youth development overhaul | OneFootball

Jurgen Klopp is part of a team working on a plan to introduce a new league in German football to aid the development of young talent.

The formerLiverpool manager and current Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull is working on a proposal to help young footballers develop in Germany. There are concerns in the German Football Association (DFB) over the data surrounding youth talent in the nation.

According toBILD, only nine academies in Germany rank among the top 100 most productive in Europe, while the Bundesliga currently has the fewest homegrown players among Europe's top-five leagues. Additionally, only 15% of minutes played in the Bundesliga are by academy players.

Klopp is working alongside Eintracht Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krösche, DFB chief Andreas Rettig, Marc Lenz of the German Football League (DFL), and ex-Germany midfielder Sami Khedira on the plans for a new league.

The concept would see the creation of an u-21 league, designed to help young talent gain experience before stepping up to theBundesliga.

The plans come amid concern over the development pathway and performances of the German national team. Since winning the 2014 World Cup, Germany have exited both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in the group stage. Germany have also failed to win the European Championship since 2000 and have not progressed past the quarter-finals since 2016.

There will be a general meeting between German clubs in March, where plans could be approved. The idea will be to introduce the new u-21 league, an equivalent to the Premier League 2, in time for the 2026-27 campaign.