Werder miss out on bonuses
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RB Leipzig and Ole Werner are going their separate ways. As the Bundesliga club has now officially announced, the collaboration with the 38-year-old head coach will end after just one season. Werner took over the position at the Saxons on July 1, 2025 and led the club to third place in the last Bundesliga season and thus back into the Champions League. Assistants Tom Cichon and Patrick Kohlmann are also leaving with Werner, but Jan Zimmermann will stay.
In terms of sport, Werner’s performance at RB was positive, but he was obviously unable to meet the expectations of the ambitious Saxons. In particular, his relationship with Red Bull football boss Jürgen Klopp was reportedly seen as cracked and cold. There were fundamental differences of opinion between the two, which ultimately culminated in Klopp and Werner no longer communicating with each other, it is said. Despite the season’s goal being achieved, its future has recently been the subject of intensive internal discussions. According to media reports, there were increasing doubts within the sporting leadership as to whether the North German was the right coach for the club’s strategic direction in the long term.
“We have intensively and conclusively analyzed the past season again in the last few days. On Tuesday evening we made the decision to fill the position of head coach. We would like to thank Ole, Tom and Patrick for their work and commitment at RB Leipzig. They played a large part in the successful transition and qualification for the Champions League. Nevertheless, we have come to the conclusion that further development in terms of content and a changed approach are necessary for the tasks that lie ahead of us. For their private and sporting future “We wish Ole, Tom and Patrick all the best,” said managing director Marcel Schäfer.
Werner came in the summer of 2025 after the separation from Marco Rose and the interim period from Zsolt Löw. In 38 competitive games under the former coach of Werder Bremen and Holstein Kiel, Leipzig won 23 times, drew five times and suffered ten defeats. The average points was 1.95 points per game. In the Bundesliga, RB ended the 2025/26 season in third place with 65 points and thus qualified for the premier class after a year without a European Cup. Leipzig reached the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup.
Werner separation from RB Leipzig: Werder loses bonuses
According to information from the “Bild” newspaper, Werner’s former club Werder Bremen is also the victim of Werner’s dismissal in Leipzig. As part of his €1.5 million move from the Weser to the Weiße Elster, success-related bonus payments (e.g. Champions League qualification) were agreed upon when he signed for both contract years, the paper writes. The latter could have given the Bremen team a maximum of half a million euros. 250,000 euros have already been due for the first year – due to the termination of the working paper, Werder now has to forego further bonus money.
RB Leipzig: Demicheli’s preferred candidate from Klopp
Leipzig wants to inform about Werner’s successor as soon as possible; Martín Demichelis is considered the favorite. The 45-year-old Argentine is currently under contract with RCD Mallorca, but should be able to leave the Spanish club thanks to an exit clause. This is consistently placed in the range between 2.5 and 3 million euros. Demichelis, who played as a professional for FC Bayern between 2003 and 2011, recently extended his contract in Mallorca until 2028. According to reports, it is Klopp’s ideal solution.
For Demichelis, a commitment to Leipzig would mean a return to the Bundesliga. After retiring, he began his coaching career in the youth team at FC Bayern, later working at River Plate, CF Monterrey and RCD Mallorca. With Mallorca he was unable to prevent relegation from LaLiga last season. In twelve games he had five wins, three draws and four defeats.