“It offended me a little” – Klopp responds to claims he advised El Mala to join Dortmund

"It offended me a little" – Klopp responds to claims he advised El Mala to join Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund's pursuit of 1. FC Köln winger Said El Mala came to an end on Friday, after the transfer window closed. Reports had linked the 19-year-old to Signal Iduna Park, with Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp being quoted as saying that El Mala would fit well at Dortmund. However, Klopp has now firmly denied any involvement in pushing El Mala towards a move to his former club.

Reflecting on the claims, Klopp told DFB.TV, "It offended me a little that people think I’m so stupid that, in my first official act, I would call a player and tell him: ‘BVB would be a good fit for you.’ Of course I didn’t do that. That’s not my job."

The Dortmund boss added, "If I work with a player for a longer period in the future and he then comes to me for advice, I would give him some. But it wouldn’t be influenced by whether I had previously worked at the club or not. It’s always about the player. Said El Mala is certainly a nice guy, but of course we haven’t spoken about it."