RB Leipzig has shaken its “mini crisis” out of its clothes for the time being with the win against SC Freiburg. But one topic still remains: What happens next with noble reservist Timo Werner?
It is no secret that Timo Werner had imagined his second engagement at RB Leipzig to be different. After his return last year, the striker got off to a promising start, but this season his only role is as a supplementary player. In the Bundesliga alone, Werner played just 203 minutes in eight games. He was only in the starting line-up three times. With the youngest 3:1 success against SC Freiburg on Sunday he spent the entire game on the bench.
Werner only fourth choice
“He is part of the team that has to face competition,” Leipzig’s sports director Rouven Schröder made clear after the game and emphasized the “performance principle”. And there are currently others who are ahead. For example, Lois Openda and Benjamin Sesko, who overtook Werner. Behind the two summer newcomers and RB veteran Yussuf Poulsen, who is experiencing his second spring, Werner is currently only the number four striker in Marco Rose’s team.
A situation that the 27-year-old cannot like, especially with a view to the coming year. After all, it’s not every day that you experience a home European Championship. For the upcoming international matches Werner is (once again) not in the national team’s squad. If he wants to jump on the European Championship bandwagon, he has to present himself and prove his core competence, i.e. scoring goals. A change in winter is anything but impossible.
Schröder: “…then we’ll deal with it”
“We’re looking at the squad. There may also be players who say on their own that they have something else in mind,” says sports director Schröder, opening the door at least a crack to a possible departure. “We’re facing this issue and talking about it openly. If someone says, ‘I want to do something different,’ then we’ll deal with it.”
Werner still has a contract in Leipzig until 2026. There are likely to be interested parties for the fast attacker in the Bundesliga. With a current market value of 20 million euros (transfermarkt.de) and a rumored annual salary of 10 million euros, Werner is not a bargain either. In addition, RB still has a promising presence in the league and Champions League and relies on a broad squad. This is also why we support Werner in the current situation. “It’s not always all sunshine and roses. But Timo will get out of it,” said Schröder.
jsc
