Germany U21 Coverage | Five talking points from the latest selection Antonio Di Salvo has named his latest Germany U21 squad ahead of the final three European Championship qualifiers against Latvia, Malta and Georgia. As usual , Get German Football News is pleased to supply a “Talking Points” piece detailing the most interesting developments unfolding at Germany’s highest youth level. In this particular case, there remains much to be discussed. The selection arrives only one day after Jürgen Klopp unveiled his first senior Germany squad and bears obvious traces of the new Bundestrainer’s expansive approach. Established U21 players Finn Jeltsch, Brajan Gruda and Said El Mala have all been promoted to the senior setup, while injuries to Dennis Seimen, Nnamdi Collins and Nelson Weiper have further depleted Di Salvo’s options. The result is a significantly refreshed squad featuring seven first-time U21 call-ups: Frank Feller (Heidenheim), Noahkai Banks (Augsburg), Laurin Ulrich (Paderborn), Francis Onyeka (Elversberg), Wael Mohya (Gladbach), Louey Ben Farhat (Karlsruhe) and Paris Brunner (AS Monaco). Germany enter the window with a clear objective. Di Salvo’s side lead qualifying Group F and know that three victories will guarantee top spot and direct qualification for next summer’s tournament in Serbia and Albania. Here are the main talking points from the latest selection. Di Salvo loses three key players The sheer size of Klopp’s first Germany squad was always likely to have consequences for the U21s. Finn Jeltsch (VfB Stuttgart), Gruda (RB Leipzig) and Said El Mala (Cologne) have all been regular members of Di Salvo’s setup and will instead spend the international break with the senior team. Their promotions remove three significant pieces from a group preparing for the decisive stage of European Championship qualifying. The 20-year-old Jeltsch donned the captain’s armband for Di Salvo’s charges last September. Gruda (22) could be relied upon as a goal-scoring threat. El Mala’s dynamism ensured that he always made an impact at U21 level. Klopp revealed at his press conference yesterday that – in close consultation with Di Salvo – certain players definitely ready to move up to senior will remain with the U21s until qualification has been assured. Talented trio remain for the qualification push Current U21 captain Tom Bischof remains with the junior side despite having already represented Germany at senior level and factoring into Klopp’s calculations. The Aschaffenburg native continues to fight for minutes at his Bundesliga club, having appeared in all six of Bayern’s competitive fixtures this year but only started two. Klopp nevertheless made clear that Bischof will eventually report to the senior team to serve on the squad for the second pair of matches. For the moment, the same does not apply to Stuttgart striker Dzenan Pejcinovic, whom many consider to be a key future component of the national team, or Club Brugge forward Nicolò Tresoldi, who continues to toy with the option of representing Italy . Pejcinovic also represented Montenegro once at U15 level before switching to Germany. Both players remain eligible for another senior national team, meaning their international futures merit monitoring. For now, the pair have a straightforward assignment: finish the job. Germany pick up two dual nationals Noahkai Banks supplies another major talking point. The Augsburg academy defender was born in Hawaii and has previously represented the United States at youth level. Banks even received a senior USMNT call-up in September 2025, although he did not make his debut. His senior international future has consequently remained one of the more interesting eligibility questions surrounding young Bundesliga players. After breaking through last season, the defender has strengthened his position at Augsburg and enters this international break as an established Bundesliga starter. Banks has logged maximum minutes across all of Augsburg’s competitive fixtures and made a significant contribution to the Fuggerstädter’s surprisingly successful start. Banks is not the only newcomer whose selection carries an international-eligibility angle. Karlsruhe attacker Louey Ben Farhat – who recently signed with Freiburg before returning to KSC on loan – has also chosen Germany over another possible national-team pathway, with Tunisia having remained an alternative option. The 19-year-old now joins Di Salvo’s squad for the first time. Taken together, the Banks and Ben Farhat selections illustrate another element of the competition surrounding elite young players. U21 call-ups are no longer simply developmental rewards. They can also provide associations with an opportunity to bring dual-national talents more closely into their respective programs. Germany have secured two such opportunities in the same squad. Paris Brunner finally arrives at U21 level Paris Brunner’s inclusion is perhaps the least surprising of the seven debuts. The 20-year-old has long ranked among the most prominent talents of his German generation. Brunner played a central role as Germany won both the U17 European Championship and U17 World Cup in 2023 and has now carried that promise into senior club football with AS Monaco. Five goals in his opening six competitive appearances this season ensured that his U21 promotion became difficult to ignore. Klopp was watching as well. The new senior Bundestrainer revealed on Thursday that Brunner had featured in discussions surrounding the enormous 44-player senior squad. There was ultimately no room for him, but Klopp still described the former Borussia Dortmund talent as a player of enormous potential. One day later, Di Salvo confirmed it. Brunner therefore enters this international break in an interesting position. He is technically taking his first step into Germany’s highest youth team at the same time as the senior coach has publicly acknowledged that he already sits somewhere on the fringes of his own considerations. Four more newcomers complete Di Salvo’s refresh The remaining first-time selections are Heidenheim goalkeeper Frank Feller, Paderborn midfielder Laurin Ulrich, Elversberg attacker Francis Onyeka and Borussia Mönchengladbach talent Wael Mohya. Their nominations reflect both opportunity and necessity. Onyeka (Nigeria) and Mohya (Morocco) are also two Germans eligible to represent different countries through their parental heritage. There will be little opportunity for an extended acclimatization period. Germany are not preparing for friendlies. The U21 European Championship qualification campaign has reached its decisive stage. Germany enter the final three fixtures top of Group F. Greece remain level on points, but the DFB youngsters hold the advantage in the direct comparison between the two sides. Three victories against Latvia, Malta and Georgia would therefore guarantee Germany first place and direct qualification for next summer’s European Championship. The schedule begins away against Latvia on September 26 before another road fixture against Malta four days later. Germany then conclude the campaign against Georgia in Bielefeld on October 6. The full squad Goalkeepers:
Mio Backhaus (SC Freiburg), Max Weiß (Burnley), Frank Feller (1. FC Heidenheim) Defenders:
Elias Baum (Eintracht Frankfurt), Lukas Ullrich (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Linus Gechter (Hertha BSC), Joshua Quarshie (Sturm Graz), Tom Rothe (Union Berlin), Karim Coulibaly (Racing Strasbourg), Noahkai Banks (FC Augsburg) Midfielders:
Tom Bischof (Bayern Munich), Arijon Ibrahimović (FC Augsburg), Mert Kömür (FC Augsburg), Noel Aseko (Eintracht Frankfurt), Aljoscha Kemlein (Union Berlin), Noah Darvich (SV Elversberg), Francis Onyeka (SV Elversberg), Laurin Ulrich (SC Paderborn), Wael Mohya (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Louey Ben Farhat (Karlsruher SC) Forwards:
Nicolò Tresoldi (Club Brugge), Dženan Pejčinović (VfB Stuttgart), Paris Brunner (AS Monaco) GGFN | Peter Weis
