What has been indicated for a few days has now been officially confirmed: Timo Werner is leaving Chelsea prematurely after two years and is returning to RB Leipzig. The striker signed a contract with the Saxons until 2026.
Timo Werner is back! After he had already flown to Leipzig on Monday and underwent the medical check in the eastern metropolis on Tuesday morning, RB was finally able to report completion in the early evening. The German national player is back in the Bundesliga and at his old place of work. With the Red Bulls he gets the shirt number 11.
“Timo Werner’s signing is a special transfer for us. We had four great years together in Leipzig, during which Timo became RBL record goalscorer and national team player. His return is also extremely important for our fans, because Timo was a crowd favorite in Leipzig and identification figure,” said Florian Scholz, Commercial Director Sport at RB Leipzig, about the successful transfer coup.
The German national player himself was also enthusiastic: “I’m very happy to be playing for RB Leipzig again from now on. It was a great time from 2016 to 2020, in which we caused a sensation as a league newcomer,” he recalled goalscorer yet.
Speaking to his former club Chelsea, the attacker said: “I had two great years at Chelsea, for which I am very grateful and which were crowned with the Champions League title. The experience, in a different country and in a different league “Playing has helped me a lot on my way. Now I’m looking forward to the new season with RB Leipzig and especially to the Leipzig fans, who are very important to me. We have big plans together and of course I want them too be the first Leipzig cop to break the 100-goal mark.”
No consistency at Chelsea
At Chelsea things weren’t going so well for Werner, who moved to the island two years ago for 53 million euros. It’s no wonder that he started thinking about the World Cup in Qatar (November 21 to December 18).
“It’s clear that I want to play more and I should play more to be in good shape for the World Cup and have a chance to play,” said the attacker recently. Hansi Flick would probably like that too, because time is of the essence.
The Winter World Cup is less than three and a half months away. After the last Bundesliga matchday (November 11th to 13th), the national coach and his team only have a few days for immediate preparation.
Timo Werner has a top record at RB Leipzig
“We don’t have time to improve it. We need players who are in rhythm,” Flick emphasized. That’s one of the reasons why the 57-year-old hopes that his pros “come to play, that they maybe get a club or even assert themselves at their club”.
Werner, who is said to cost Leipzig 19.5 million euros, did not succeed with the blues in the long term. In the past Premier League season, he made 15 starts and only four goals under team manager Thomas Tuchel.
It was completely different in Leipzig times. There Werner became RB’s top scorer between 2016 and 2020 with 90 goals in 156 competitive games, plus 40 assists. In the case of the cup winners, one would probably have nothing against such numbers.
Timo Werner is said to fuel competition among the Red Bulls
In coach Domenico Tedesco’s team, which started the season with a 1-1 draw at VfB Stuttgart, the 26-year-old will continue to heat up the competition in attack.
Christopher Nkunku is usually seeded there, but things could get tight for André Silva, Alexander Sörloth or Yussuf Poulsen.