Keita transfer has curious consequences
By Timo Stromer and Malte Bürger
Updated: 04.07.23 – 20:06
With the transfer of Naby Keita (right), those responsible at SV Werder Bremen around Clemens Fritz received some strange player offers.
© Imago Images/motivio/gumzmedia
With Naby Keita, SV Werder Bremen has signed an international star – that has strange consequences, as Clemens Fritz, head of professional football, explains to the DeichStube.
Bremen – The answer was short and sweet. Two words were enough for Ole Werner. The transfer that was about to take place could still be spectacular. And that’s why the 35-year-old only wrote “Very happy” when he received the message from Clemens Fritz via WhatsApp that Naby Keita soon for the SV Werder Bremen could play. At least that’s how the head of professional football has it in the new episode of the DeichStube-Podcasts „diked” explained. “And it wasn’t like he thought I was kidding him either. He knows that when he’s gone, he’ll only be contacted by me if it’s really important and I’m not joking.” The subsequent change of the ex-Liverpooler caused incredulous amazement. Maybe not with the coach, but with many fans who could hardly believe their luck. In addition, the Keita coup has led to Fritz receiving some curious offers since then.
Werder Bremen’s Clemens Fritz: “What can ultimately be implemented, we will see in the coming weeks”
“You can see from the players who were offered here that the expectations are high,” says the ex-professional. “One wonders whether people think that we fished a sack of money out of the Weser.” Names concrete Clemens Fritz not, but his smile reveals that caliber were there whose monetary habits simply cannot be realized on the Osterdeich. “We have to keep looking at what we can do with the budget,” emphasizes Fritz. “We keep our eyes open in all positions. What can ultimately be implemented will be seen in the coming weeks.”
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The basic starting position has not changed. Werder Bremen needs money. And from the Weser – Fritz made that much clear – it won’t come. “We are a club that also lives from transfer income,” says the 42-year-old. So far, not much has happened on the entry side, only the change from defensive talent Fabio Chiarodia to Borussia Mönchengladbach two million euros a. But that’s actually not enough. “If you don’t generate any transfer income this summer then it’s immediately an issue for the new season. It then keeps piling up. But that’s not exactly our goal,” emphasizes Fritz. “We are therefore trying to do our homework and meet the requirements.”
“We have prepared very well for this appointment,” says Werder Bremen’s Clemens Fritz about the Keita transfer
Only then are such surprises as in the case of Naby Keita possible. The large number of offers that Bremen considers immoral shows how great the international sensation is that the signing of the Champions League winner triggered. But that was only possible because, compared to the past, he waived a lot of money. And because Werder Bremen cleverly campaigned for itself at the decisive moment. Exactly when the national player of Guinea presented himself at the Wohninvest Weserstadion and wanted to see if the Bundesliga club was really an option for him. “We prepared very well for this event, had many presentations with game scenes and our game idea. It is very important to Ole Werner that the potential newcomer recognizes how Werder wants to play, what the club stands for and what is expected of him as a player,” stresses Clemens Fritz, who in the same breath praises the head coach: “There I really have to say that Ole presented this idea very well. In the end it was a complete package that we were able to convince with.”
There’s still a week to go Naby Keita at Werder Bremen starts work. As with all other internationals, the 28-year-old is expected to arrive on July 12. And then it will be seen whether he can actually raise the Werner team to a higher level. “We shouldn’t hang the grapes too high,” says Clemens Fritz. “With a name like Naby Keita the expectations are certainly high, but we have other players in the squad and Naby won’t win a game on his own. So we should give him the time to adapt in Bremen and to adapt the game system.
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Clemens Fritz on Werder Bremen’s new signing Naby Keita: “You can never be sure”
And above all, it will be about preparing the former Leipziger for a permanent load again. After all, he has won numerous titles at Anfield Road in the past five years, but has far too rarely been on the pitch himself. The injury history is correspondingly long. “You can never be sure. Of course we did a medical check, which was very, very positive. The complete structure of the muscles also looked great,” explains Fritz. “But a lot also happens in a player’s head. If you never really get into your rhythm, it can quickly happen that you get a muscular injury. It is therefore important for us to prepare Naby in the best possible way.” And Werder Bremen Head of professional football rejoices: “If we succeed, we will have a lot of fun with him.” (mbü / tst)
2023-07-04 17:05:05
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