Spain “a dream”
After the failed move to Union Berlin last summer, Marco Friedl (24) stayed with SV Werder Bremen, who had been relegated to the Bundesliga at the time, with whom he celebrated direct promotion back to the German top flight. The defender was one of the top performers, contributing four goals and three assists in 28 games across all competitions. He recently extended his contract, which originally expired next year, to 2026. “The appreciation of how I was dealt with in the discussions and the development prospects that were shown to me were great. That’s why I wanted to stay,” Friedl said in an interview with “Kicker”.
He made no secret of the fact that the Austrian national player, after a season in which he last increased his market value from 3.5 to 5 million euros, was also considering other options before extending the contract. “Especially after the season, there were already talks with my advisor if something came up that I could feel comfortable with,” he revealed. According to the magazine, Friedl also had the opportunity to switch to a Champions League participant, but he quickly made it clear that he wanted to play with Werder in the German top flight. With a total of 76 Bundesliga appearances, the defender is one of the most experienced players at this level in coach Ole Werner’s squad.
In his 112 games for Werder since his loan from FC Bayern in the second half of the 2018/19 season and the subsequent permanent commitment for 3.5 million euros, Friedl has often been at the side of players with more experience than him. After the departure of captain Ömer Toprak (32), the Austrian now wants to take on the role of defense chief, as he made clear. Should he also lead the team in the future, it would be a “huge honor” for him. Meanwhile, the last season “shaped” him, he said. “In general, the past season was one that can still be very valuable for my next few years: in the 2nd division, and this difficult situation. I now know how to deal with something like that.”
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When asked what wishes Friedl had for his career, he replied that Spain was “a dream”. “You have to see in the next few years whether that will come true,” he said. Friedl also wants to start learning the language “soon”. The fact that he could one day play for his training club FC Bayern again is currently not part of his future plans. Due to his contract extension, the buyback option for the German record champions is “no longer an issue”. Friedl will only see FC Bayern again in November, when Werder visit Munich on matchday 14. The goal for the new season as a promoted team is to “consolidate and play a solid season,” he said, citing VfL Bochum as an example of how things could go. “Only through consistency and the years you hope to stay in the Bundesliga can you formulate other goals again,” he explained.
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