COMMENT: Jurgen Klopp to West Ham United? Why not? Why is it so far-fetched? We know there'll be no 'sabbatical' for the Borussia Dortmund coach this year. He's in Istanbul today, speaking with Fenerbahce, touring their training centre and mulling over whether he can make such a move work.
So if he's speaking with Fener, then why not West Ham?
While the Hammers received a polite brush-off last month, that approach was done through intermediaries. David Sullivan, the club's co-chairman, needs to get Klopp's number and invite him and wife Ulla to London for talks and a tour of Stratford stadium.
It's exactly how Aziz Yildirim, the Fener president, managed to persuade Klopp to get on a jet after defeat at VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday and fly to Istanbul. Klopp is making it clear. He's open to offers. It's time for West Ham to step in.
Yes, Fener can offer Klopp a realistic title challenge and Champions League football. But the Hammers have Stratford up their sleeve and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a manager to lead one of the game's great, old clubs into a new era.
A near 60,000 stadium, filled with fans just as passionate as he experienced in Dortmund - in the biggest competition in the world? How could he turn it down?
This is where Sullivan really must come into his own. Against all expectations, he pulled off the Alex Song signing last summer. Sullivan can do this, but he needs to meet with Klopp face-to-face.
The ambition from Sullivan and David Gold is promising. If it's not to be Klopp, then Rafa Benitez, off contract at Napoli, has also been mentioned.
It'd be great to have the former Liverpool and Chelsea manager back in English football. But West Ham isn't the right fit. The Spaniard is better suited to a more established team. The two Davids will insist Sam Allardyce's successor do more with the club's academy. They want to see Reece Burke establish himself and Reece Oxford brought through. This isn't Benitez's strength.
Klopp, however, would be ideal.
For all the titles he's won with Dortmund, the 47 year-old takes just as much pride from the players he's introduced. From Shinji Kagawa and Robert Lewandowski, to local heroes Marco Reus and Kevin Grosskreutz. These are his lads. His record for developing young talent is as good as anyone in the current game.
And he's a manager in it for the long haul.
Fener have a decent record of backing their coaches. Three years for Aykut Kocaman and three years for Christoph Daum does buck the trend on the continent. But it's nothing like the seven years Klopp has spent both with BVB and former club Mainz.
This is a manager seeking a long-term project and a strongwilled board.
Is there a more resolute duo in the English game than the two Davids? If Klopp was to take the job, he'd be sure of full support from his chairmen.
It really isn't so far-fetched. Just track down that number, David, and make it happen.
