Klopp’s striker hierarchy revealed as Arsenal star Havertz leads the way

Arsenal’s Kai Havertz currently tops Germany coach Jürgen Klopp’s striker hierarchy ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt’s Younes Ebnoutalib and Werder Bremen’s Niclas Füllkrug, according to Bild.

Four games into Jürgen Klopp’s tenure as Germany coach, Bild has published what it claims is the internal ranking of forwards in the German national team.

According to the German tabloid, Arsenal’s Kai Havertz is the clear number one, with Klopp valuing the former Bayer Leverkusen attacker’s intelligence, movement and experience at the highest level.

Rather surprisingly, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Younes Ebnoutalib currently sits second in the rankings. The 23-year-old made his first two appearances for Germany in September and, although he was unable to really convince, his impressive early-season form has apparently propelled him high up the pecking order.

The same applies to third-placed Niclas Füllkrug, who is on loan at Werder Bremen from West Ham. Having missed Klopp’s first squad, the striker was handed a call-up this time around after climbing to the top of the Bundesliga scoring charts with nine goals.

Jonathan Burkardt, Nick Woltemade and Deniz Undav complete the hierarchy in fourth, fifth and sixth place respectively, having all missed out on the squad this time around. 

Should Havertz, Ebnoutalib or Füllkrug pick up an injury, Burkardt would be first in line for a call-up as the next-ranked striker.