Sensational transfer: Naby Keita makes a surprising move from Liverpool to Werder Bremen Photo: picture alliance/ AP
From BZ/dpa
Bundesliga club Werder Bremen have been working on the surprise signing of Champions League winner Naby Keita from Liverpool since spring.
“Two, three months ago we first heard about the wish that Naby would like to return to the Bundesliga,” said the sporting director Frank Bauman the multimedia project “Deichstube”. Just last week “I also thought it was unrealistic that it would really work. But we stuck to it.”
The 28-year-old midfielder switched from RB Leipzig to Liverpool in 2018 for a transfer fee of around 60 million euros.
Because of numerous injury problems, he never made it there to become a regular player. Jürgen Klopp’s club did not extend his expiring contract this summer. Keita then switched to the Bundesliga-13 on a free transfer on Friday. to Bremen.
“In the past, Werder have always managed to convince players who seemed unrealistic to play with us. I’m thinking of Max Kruse, Davy Klaassen or Serge Gnabry,” said Baumann. “We offer such players a good environment. We enjoy a good reputation there. Then there is our style of football. And of course we gave him the feeling that he was needed here and that he would play an important role.”