EXCLUSIVE: Hitzlsperger questions Klopp appointment, slams 'carnage' of transfer window

He was 31 when he decided to hang up his boots, calling it quits on a career that featured 300+ appearances across Serie A, the Bundesliga, and the Premier League for teams such as Wolfsburg, West Ham, Lazio and Everton. Shortly after his retirement, Hitzlsperger became the first high-profile footballer to come out as gay: it would take another nine years for Jakub Jankto to announce himself as the first gay active male international footballer.

Now 44, Hitzlsperger has kept himself busy with a number of different roles in media and football administration, serving as a football pundit and commentator for leading outlets such as ESPN, BBC, The Guardian, Sky Germany, Fox Sports and ARD.

He’s also sat on the board for various clubs like Stuttgart - rising from Sporting Director to CEO during his chapter from 2019 to 2022 - and Aalborg BK, helping to steer the Danish team’s strategic and financial direction as the club’s co-owner. And while he stepped down last month after three-and-a-half years in charge, he’s still attached to Italian side Hellas Verona after joining as a board member in January 2025, and he’s still using his platform to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports.

In this exclusive interview, Flashscore speaks to Hitzlsperger about several topics, including Aston Villa under Unai Emery, Jurgen Klopp's appointment as head coach of Germany, as well as life in football media and club boardrooms.

One of your other former clubs, Aston Villa, have been on the rise, lifting their first European trophy in 44 years and finishing fourth in the Premier League last season. What do you make of the Villans' progress under Unai Emery?

"I guess it starts with the current ownership: they've identified Emery and given him the power to build the club the way he wants to build it. In a sense, if we want to be successful and play in the UEFA Champions League and win trophies, then he was given what he was asking for, and he delivered.

"I think the style of play is amazing to watch: I really enjoy watching Villa, and of course, what they're doing is often high-risk, but in general, when it works out, it's really, really good. They've won the Europa League with some exciting matches, and when they played in the Champions League, it was incredible, and they’re back again in the Champions League this season.

"I really think Emery, in combination with ownership, who have allowed him to express himself and build this team the way he wants, is really phenomenal."

How challenging will it be for Villa to maintain that level, given the start of the new season?

"I follow the debate with financial regulations: that they can't spend what they want to spend, and you've got the big six clubs that seem to benefit from the current regulations. Now, I get it, but I don't want to get too deep into this conversation.

"What I do think is that what Unai Emery has managed to do when he took over from Steven Gerrard is that he quickly turned things around with the same players, but with a different style of play, with a different methodology. He turned this club around, and this just shows me the power of really good coaches and what they can achieve.

"Of course, he's super ambitious, and he wants to be even better. In order to get better, you need even better players. But overall, where the club's coming from, they're in a good position. Obviously, I hope they continue to do well in the Champions League and stay in the Premier League’s top four or five positions. I think it's going to be tough for them, but I really hope they manage it again."

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You were an expert at ARD (a German broadcaster) between 2015 and 2019, and have been again since 2022. Did your role there fulfil you, and is this your long-term plan, or are there other ideas and aspirations you’d still like to realise? Could you imagine working for a club again?

"When I started with a role in media, it was just the usual thing for ex-pros to go on TV. I started with a morning show in Germany, and then I went over to the US to work for Fox Sports. They had the Bundesliga rights, which was a great learning experience for me to understand how football is presented in the US. I met some incredible people, and then I went back to Germany.

"Now, the landscape's changed completely. You don't have to be an ex-pro in order to be a content creator, an influential person in football media, especially in the US, but more so in the UK. There are so many ex-players who dominate the debate with their podcasts and shows: it's not about linear TV anymore, where we wait for the program. Match of the Day is still there, and with ARD, we have Sportschau.

"They’re still important to some people, but now the market is open. Anyone can have an amazing, great audience if they appeal in terms of whatever they say, how they come across. For me, the question is: 'Where do I fit in? What's my future role if I want to be in media?' It's become entertainment, of course.

'Absurdity of transfer deadline day is just insane'

"But with regard to the second part of your question, I'm still close to clubs; I'm on the board of Hellas Verona, so now I'm trying to understand a little bit more about Italian football, and I was with Aalborg in Denmark. When I see what sporting directors are doing, this would probably be my role, but the game's changed so much that I think this part of the job doesn't appeal to me anymore.

"We've just finished a transfer window, and it's carnage. It's really insane what's been going on: the way we talk about players moving club to club, the money that is involved, the stuff that's going on behind the scenes. I can't change it, but this is not my favourite job. I love the game, I want to talk about it, I want to watch it, but to negotiate all this sort of stuff that's going on with player trading, where there's constant pressure on everybody involved in the football club until the last second, and the media is right there, the cameras are on, I think it’s not for me.

"I think this is not a nice part of the job. Some people love it, which obviously is why they're in these jobs. I think year by year, it gets worse. The pressure increases, and the absurdity of the transfer deadline day and the days running up to it - it's just insane. And the people who join in and comment on it, I think it's sickening at times - what you see and all the rubbish that's been said."

The football calendar is packed with events. For the national teams, action resumes as early as September with the Nations League. What do you think of the packed schedule for national teams, and how do you rate the Nations League eight years after its introduction? How important do you think it is compared to a World Cup or European Championship?

"The calendar is so packed that it's hard for me to really say how it is for players. Of course, they get really great opportunities to recover with more physios, the nutrition is getting better and better, and yet there are so many games that I admire these players who play two games per week for 40 weeks a year. They don't have any time to mentally sort of switch off; they're constantly under pressure.

"You can see there's that competition between FIFA and UEFA: FIFA wants more games for them, because they think UEFA's got all these tournaments and club competitions, and they want more revenue as well. The greed of big organisations is what makes players suffer, having to play more. Of course, they make more money, which is great for them, but from a physical and mental point of view, I think it's just too much.

"Now, with the Nations League, I guess it's just another product where UEFA introduces new competitions and has to prove that they can be creative enough, whether it's called Nations League or just qualifiers, I don't care. I don't watch every single game that's happening, because there are so many games; you have to really pick carefully what you think is worth watching.

"Now, of course, I'm going to watch Jurgen Klopp's first game in charge of Germany and see how he will do, but the Nations League is fine. I don't really have a strong opinion: it's there, and it's okay."

Chasing Klopp 'not smart from financial point of view'

Before the DFB started talks with Klopp, you had recommended to the German federation on ARD that they should also 'consider other alternatives'. Have you had any specific names in mind at the time, and do you think Klopp is the best choice, after all?

"Yeah, I definitely think Klopp is the best choice for the job. When you get knocked out of the World Cup in such a fashion, you're under pressure, so Julian Nagelsmann left; now everybody was waiting to see what was going to happen. They probably thought, 'Okay, the only thing to repair this damage is by bringing Klopp in,' because the majority of football fans in Germany think Klopp is incredible.

"By bringing him in, it's a quick fix; it's an easy one, it's almost a no-brainer. But from a professional point of view, if you negotiate with somebody where the other party already knows that they really need this person, then he can basically write his own cheque. If you give yourself a little bit more time and interview other candidates - not that I have one person in mind, but I'm sure there are some talented coaches out there that are definitely worth talking to - then it's a different story.

"You might be surprised; there might be other solutions, but it was so obvious the moment this became public that the German FA started talking to Klopp that they would always go for him. To negotiate with somebody who knows he's the only option is not very smart from a financial point of view, and I think we all know this.

"That's why I said there is no pressure: they didn't need to present the national team coach the next week. Take your time, interview other people, negotiate with Red Bull, let him know you want him, but have a plan B. They never seem to have a plan B, and that's why I was saying it was inadvisable."

Stuttgart are back in the Champions League and have won all of their matches apart from a 5-1 loss to Bayern Munich… How would you compare this Stuttgart team to your Stuttgart?

"I'll pick out the coach, Sebastian Hoeness; he's really got what it takes, and I have to remind people that when he first came in, it wasn't so obvious that he'd just been at Hoffenheim. They said: 'He's a nice guy, he's a good coach, but maybe he's not strong enough in terms of dealing with big players' egos and whatnot.'

"He has his ideas, his style of play, his way of being really courageous, high up the pitch, and playing man-against-man at times. He wants to play a good style of football, and he's been there long enough: he's the main man. He's ultimately responsible for the way they play.

"Now, I was a bit surprised by how big the difference was when they played Bayern. I did think Stuttgart could challenge Bayern, but only for 15 minutes, and that just shows the difference in the Bundesliga. But overall, Stuttgart's done so well under Hoeness to maintain that level of dominance and attractive style of play. I think he's just an outstanding coach, and he works really well together with the board. The sort of players they bring in, I think they're very clear about who they want to bring in and who they don't want to bring in. Everything seems to click for them.

"It's always been a huge club; I know this better than most people, and right now, there's not much to improve on in terms of how much farther can get. You can finish second in the Bundesliga; that's the best you can get, and with a good draw in the Champions League, I think it's doable to reach the next round, for sure."