RB Leipzig has signed Ole Werner as the new head coach. After tough negotiations with Werder Bremen, the Saxons agreed on a transfer fee for the 37-year-old, who should bring Leipzig back to the top of the Bundesliga after a disappointing season.
After a long back and forth, RB Leipzig has finally found a new head coach in Ole Werner. As the Bundesliga club officially announced on Tuesday (June 24th), the 37-year-old trainer will sign a two-year contract on the Cottaweg by 2027. “Ole is a young, aspiring and extremely ambitious head coach who will take the next step in his development with us,” RB sports director Marcel Schäfer said in the official message.
RB and Bremen agree on a transfer package
Werner’s commitment had preceded tough negotiations with Bundesliga competitor Werder Bremen in order to buy him out of his working paper, which was still valid by 2026. Bremen had apparently initially called for a transfer fee of six million euros, in the end the responsible media reports agreed, among other things, of kickerthe Leipziger Volkszeitung and sky according to on A maximum of two million euros including bonuses incurred in the event of a successful case.
Successor and predecessor: Ole Werner and Marco Rose at the Bundesliga duel RB vs. Werder in January 2025.
Werner was released in Bremen at the end of May and also brings his two assistant coach Patrick Kohlmann and Tom Cichon to Leipzig. RB had born in March Leipzig Marco Rose put in front of the door And then under interim coach Zsolt Löw a disappointing season Without European Cup qualification only in seventh place away.
Werner: “The same ideas were noticeable immediately”
“I am very pleased to be head coach from RB Leipzig from now on. In the very detailed conversations, it was immediately noticeable that there are the same ideas about game and working methods on both sides. It made it easy for me to choose this way together,” said Werner, adding: “The club has great goals and demands. These are exactly the parameters that I would like to make and to make my contribution.”
RB sports director Marcel Schäfer is convinced that Ole Werner is the right man for the coaching job in Leipzig.
RB sports director Schäfer: “He is ready for the next stage”
“We have been pursuing his way for a long time and are very pleased that he has chosen RB Leipzig. Ole stands for a clear game philosophy that he successfully brought to the square at his stations in Kiel and Bremen: structured ball possession football, quick switching after ball gain, a very good pressing, tactical flexibility and brave, committed and combative appearance,” explained Marcel, “explained Marcel,” explained Marcel, “explained Marcel,” explained Marcel Shepherd. “Especially at his last stop in Bremen, Ole has continuously developed the team as well as itself. We are convinced that he is ready for the next level.”
Werner’s path: via Kiel and Bremen to Leipzig
Ole Werner, who comes from Preetz in Schleswig-Holstein, spent almost his entire player and coaching career in Kiel. The north German did not go beyond the Oberliga as more active on the lawn. It was more successful for Werner on the sidelines: After guiding the second representative of KSV Holstein for years, he became head coach of the first team in 2019 at the age of 31 and led the second division club to the Bundesliga in 2021.
Clemens Fritz and Ole Werner worked successfully together in Bremen for years. A few weeks ago, however, the tablecloth was cut.
Kiel failed there on 1. FC Köln, a year later Werner still made the leap into the upper house – after taking over the previously relegated traditional club Werder Bremen and led directly back to the first division. There he continued to develop the green-whites in recent years and initially drove the table positions 13 and nine before the SVW recently finished eighth with RB.
Differences about the sporting orientation at Werder
A few weeks ago, however, the break took place. Werner did not want to extend his contract that was originally valid for another year – supposedly because of differences with sports director Clemens Fritz about the further sporting orientation of the Bremen.
Horst Steffen, previously in Elversberg and once at Chemnitz FC in office, took over the coaching post at Werder Bremen.
With the financially clammy Hanseatic cities, he was supposed to concentrate on the further development of talents, but did not see that in accordance with the table ambitions that also increased at the Weser. Shortly after the lack of future, Werder released the trainer and won the previous Elversberger success coach Horst Steffen.
Werner is said to responsibility
Werner now finds another squad in Leipzig, but also significantly higher demands. In the past few years, RB has been a permanent guest in the Champions League. After a thoroughly messed up season, in which you even missed international business, there is now a great upheaval, not just in the coaching position: stars like Xavi Simons And Benjamin Sesko is faced with a change and are supposed to rinse more than 100 million into the coffers. Identification figures such as Peter Gulacsi, Willi Orban and Yussuf Poulsen could also leave the club in summer after many years.
Symbol of a messed up season: Xavi Simons lets his disappointment run free. The whereabouts of the offensive star at RB is open.
The open coaching question stagnated Squad planning last. Werner should now take care of the open positions together with RB sports director Marcel Schäfer. So far, only the obligation of the Dutch midfielder Ezechiel Banzuzi. With central defender Cristhian Mosquera from Spain, an oral agreement was probably made.
Training start on July 14th
To official start of training On July 14th there are still a few weeks. The first test game is planned five days later with regional league ZFC Meuselwitz. Werner will then be his competitive premiere in the middle of August First round of the DFB Cup Give SV Sandhausen against third division relegation.
RB was since then Rose-off Looking for a suitable successor. According to sports director Schäfer, this should start an era – but the initially targeted candidates canceled in turn. In conversation, among others Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace), CESC Fabregas (Como), Sebastian Hoeneß (VfB Stuttgart) and Jacob Neestrup (FC Copenhagen), but ultimately all remained loyal to their clubs. Now Ole Werner should judge.
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