Germany international and Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos has named former Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker as his preferred candidate to take on the vacant national team technical director role.
Following Die Mannschaft's humiliating group-stage exit from the World Cup, Olivier Bierhoff had his contract terminated due to the abysmal performance of the team, despite working with the German football association for just shy of two decades. His contract was due to run until 2024, which would have taken him up to 20 years of service with the German FA.
Meanwhile, Mertesacker is attracting plenty of admirers as a result of his work with the Gunners as their head of academy operations. A number of influential young stars have progressed to the first team under his tutelage, including Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah.
