RB brings Werner back: transfer should be sealed

Created: 08/08/2022Updated: 08/08/2022 15:10

Timo Werner (front) reacts during a game.

© Frank Augstein/AP/dpa/archive image

It was known that RB Leipzig was working on a return campaign for Timo Werner.

But that it can now go very quickly was not expected.

According to "Bild" information, Werner could already be in the squad of the DFB Cup winners against 1. FC Köln on Saturday.

Leipzig – The Bundesliga gets a national player back.

According to information from “Bild” and Sky, Timo Werner will sign a five-year contract with his former club RB Leipzig on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old was already expected in Saxony on Monday after RB and Chelsea FC had agreed on the transfer.

Accordingly, the DFB Cup winner will transfer around 20 million euros plus bonuses to London and make a transfer bargain.

Two years ago Werner switched to Stamford Bridge for around 55 million euros.

On Sunday, RB managing director Oliver Mintzlaff reacted extremely cautiously to Werner's personnel.

"Fix is ​​basically a deal to me when it's signed.

I can say: We haven't signed any new players and we haven't signed anything anywhere," said Mintzlaff, who led the talks and once again turned out to be a skillful negotiator.

Mintzlaff got a lot more out of the contract extension with Christopher Nkunku than was generally expected.

Mintzlaff was the driving force behind the return of the national striker, who played in Leipzig from 2016 to 2020 and developed into a dangerous goalscorer.

It was reported that he immediately contacted Werner when he first announced his intention to change.

First, he explored various options with the native of Stuttgart, which also included a salary cut compared to his Chelsea salary.

Then he haggled with the Londoners about the transfer terms.

The fact that there is now a permanent commitment instead of an expected loan deal also speaks for Mintzlaff.

In his oasis of well-being in Leipzig, Werner is now hoping for match practice, which, above all, requires the coach's trust.

Ralf Rangnick, who once brought him to Leipzig and who was his sponsor and coach for a season, sees it that way too.

“From a sporting point of view, the transfer makes sense.

Timo has speed and depth.

No player at RB has that in the offensive area except Nkunku," said Rangnick in the Sky interview on Monday: "To play at his performance limit, Timo needs trust and the absolute backing of the coach." For Werner, it is important "that he regularly plays so that he can get in shape for the World Cup."

At Chelsea, Werner did not have the support of coach Thomas Tuchel, which is why the attacker often had to be a reserve player and therefore saw his participation in the World Cup in jeopardy.

Whether and how Werner fits into the concept of the current RB coach Domenico Tedesco remains to be seen.

dpa