Jeff Chabot has revealed that he came close to earning a place in Germany's World Cup squad and remains determined to force his way into the national team ahead of Euro 2028. Speaking to Kicker following his return from minor knee surgery, the Stuttgart centre-back said former Bundestrainer Julian Nagelsmann informed him that he had been seriously considered for selection.
"According to Julian Nagelsmann, I was really close," Chabot said. "We had good conversations from which I could tell that I had a realistic chance."
The 28-year-old ultimately missed the tournament and watched Germany's disappointing campaign from home. Chabot nevertheless believes the appointment of Jürgen Klopp provides him with another opportunity to earn his first senior international cap.
"I don't know him personally," Chabot said of Klopp. "But he's a great coach, a successful coach. Germany can look forward to him and hopefully I can too."
A senior Germany call-up would complete another stage in an unusual career trajectory. Chabot's route to becoming a Bundesliga regular took him through the Netherlands and Italy before he eventually established himself with Köln. Stuttgart paid approximately €4m to sign him following Köln's relegation in 2024.
His first months in Swabia were not flawless, but Chabot steadily developed into one of Sebastian Hoeneß's most dependable defenders. By January 2025, Juventus were already monitoring the centre-back , with Stuttgart reportedly valuing him between €20m and €25m.
Chabot then supplied one of the defining moments of his first Stuttgart campaign by scoring his first Bundesliga goal against Borussia Dortmund. Hoeneß described the defender as "solid as a rock" following a performance that underlined his growing importance.
Even difficult results demonstrated Chabot's emerging leadership role. After Stuttgart surrendered a late lead against Wolfsburg one week later , Chabot was among those tasked with publicly explaining how a dominant performance had yielded no points.
Chabot's progress continued during the following preseason. Get German Football News ' Stuttgart tactical preview highlighted him as arguably the club's most reliable defensive stalwart after an excellent training camp. His strength in ground and aerial duels, leadership and occasional threat as an auxiliary late-match striker made him particularly valuable within an otherwise changing defensive unit.
An ill-timed injury nevertheless interrupted his momentum just as a Germany call-up appeared increasingly realistic. Chabot has now confirmed that Nagelsmann's interest was more concrete than publicly known.
By November, Hoeneß was again describing Chabot as one of Stuttgart's physical and aerial leaders . The Stuttgart coach specifically recalled how effectively Chabot had defended against Serhou Guirassy and continued to trust him as the anchor around whom different defensive combinations could be built.
The former Germany U21 international has not represented his country since 2019, but considers a senior breakthrough achievable. His immediate focus remains Stuttgart. Competition from Finn Jeltsch, Ramon Hendriks, Luca Jaquez and Ameen Al-Dakhil remains intense, but Chabot believes he has earned Hoeneß's trust.
"The good thing about professional sport is that anyone can make it if they perform," Chabot said. "That's my goal. It's a long road, but it's largely in my own hands."
Recent interest from Beşiktaş has also failed to distract him. Juventus and Al-Nassr were linked with Chabot last summer, but the defender continues to stress that outside interest does not mean he is seeking an exit.
"It's always a compliment when other clubs are interested in a player," Chabot said. "It confirms your performances. But that doesn't mean I'm dealing with it myself. I'm at VfB and focused on that."
Stuttgart will compete in the Champions League this season after reaching the DFB-Pokal final for the second consecutive year. Chabot wants another deep cup run and hopes to test himself against Arsenal or another European heavyweight.
