Tahith Chong is here! On Sunday afternoon, SV Werder Bremen officially announced the transfer of the 20-year-old winger from Manchester United. On Monday, the Werder newcomer spoke to the * DeichStube about his move at the training camp in Zillertal.
Zell am Ziller - After only 15 minutes it was done - the first round of the press for Tahith Chong as a SV Werder Bremen player . Afterwards, the 20-year-old said goodbye in a friendly manner, but did not just disappear, but also helped the employees of the media department to dismantle the advertising strip in the park stadium in Zell am Ziller that was specially set up for the TV cameras. That fitted in perfectly with the image that the loan from Manchester United had previously drawn of itself: personable and polite, but also determined, football-crazy, reflective and humorous.
"I want to play as many games as possible," said Chong. That is very important in this phase of his career. At Manchester United he was only allowed to play three times in the Premier League. Why actually? “I played in the Europa League. Then you have to perform. I didn't do that the way I wanted to. It can happen. So I have to keep working and see that I can do better in a year or two. "
Ryan Giggs, Lionel Messi and Arjen Robben influenced Werder Bremen's newcomer Tahith Chong
But now his full concentration is on SV Werder Bremen , "a big club in Germany that can help me in my development," said Chong. He was never in Bremen until last Friday, but he knows Werder all the better. “I've always been a soccer nerd, I've looked at everything. And Werder had a lot of Dutch on their team - for example Eljero Elia. ”Another winger who from 2012 to 2015 rarely brought his great potential to the pitch.
He did not appear when Tahith Chong was asked to name the players who influenced him sportily: "Ryan Giggs, Messi, Arjen Robben." but inappropriately: “I don't think so. It is an honor to be compared to such a player. But I still have many steps to go so that I might be mentioned in the same breath with him. "
Werder Bremen: For newcomer Tahith Chong, social media is "the least important"
Nor is Tahith Chong not a star, but a great talent. But by no means shy or reserved. He showed no nervousness, talked very easily about himself and his goals. Also about the jokes with the new colleagues. Felix Agu and Manuel Mbom , who are of the same age, are his first contacts. “You are very funny. They make my days very funny, they make me laugh, ”said Chong with a big grin on his face. But it can also be completely different. “When I go out onto the field, I show my gameface. Then I'll do the best for the team. ”During his first training session on Sunday, something of that could already be seen, sometimes his colleagues could only stop him with a foul, so determined and nimble he headed for the goal. “You have to have the mentality of wanting to win every game.” That's what he learned at Manchester United. Of this might Werder Bremen benefit.
Media anyway. 600,000 people follow him on Instagram, at Werder it's only 300,000. However, Tahith Chong does not want to give the new club any tutoring, nor could he. Because: "I don't do the social media work myself. My focus is on football, social media is the least important," emphasized Chong.
Werder Bremen newcomer Tahith Chong praises coach Florian Kohfeldt: "His football IQ is very high"
Actually, he doesn't need any platforms to draw attention to himself. With Tahith Chong , the mane-like hairstyle is enough to attract attention. The hair is something like his trademark. But that's the way it is, he doesn't have to go to great lengths or even fly in a star hairdresser, as is quite common with some professional footballers. “I don't need something like that,” Chong explained, “I go to the hairdresser like everyone else, or my mother does it.” Now in summer, when he has mostly tied his hair back because of the heat, “I don't need five minutes for it ". In winter it could be ten or fifteen minutes. "Then I like to wear my hair open over my ears so that I'm not so cold," said Chong and laughed.
The winger has fun, he likes to talk. And is just too excited about his new coach Florian Kohfeldt . “His soccer IQ is very high, you can talk to him about soccer all day.” Just like him. The fact that the press round was over after only 15 minutes was more due to the tight schedule in the Zillertal, less to himself. Chong was still keen to continue talking - which he then did when dismantling the advertising band with the Werder Bremen employees . (knee)
To the last message from August 16, 2020:
Tahith Chong is already whirling - and Frank Baumann explains the exciting coup of SV Werder Bremen
Zell am Ziller - Suddenly Tahith Chong was on the ground, pushed over by Yuya Osako, who could n't help himself against the SV Werder Bremen's newcomer in the penalty area . A scene as if it had been ordered for a newcomer in his first training session at a new club. Even in a rather relaxed session, the 20-year-old Dutchman indicated just twelve hours after arriving at the training camp in Zell am Ziller how valuable the loan from Manchester United could be. And then sports director Frank Baumann revealed how he had guided the player, who is coveted throughout Europe, on the home stretch of the transfer to Werder despite some resistance.
Werder Bremen: New signing Tahith Chon is here! Those are the transfer details
“Tahith decided very, very quickly for Werder. That helped us a lot in our discussions with ManUnited, ”reported Frank Baumann . Werder Bremen would have liked to loan the winger for two years, but the Premier League club only agreed to one season. And Baumann left open whether the English even have a return option for the winter. It is very likely that they will take over part of the very generous salary for a 20-year-old by Bundesliga standards. Tahith Chong is expected to earn 2.8 million euros after his contract extension in the spring of 2022. That would make him one of the top earners at Werder.
Tahith Chong , who will wear the number 22 shirt at Werder , arrived in Bremen on Friday , completed the medical check there and was supposed to travel to the training camp with the team that evening. But the negotiations dragged on. Allegedly, other clubs at ManUnited are said to have expressed their interest in the U21 international. But Chong was tough. On Saturday evening he flew to Munich with Frank Baumann , then took a Werder van to the Zillertal, where the duo arrived at 8.24 p.m. When Chong entered the dining room, there was applause from the SV Werder Bremen team that was eating.
The attacker was still not a real Werder professional. Signatures were still missing, even the morning after. Thanks to a training permit from ManUnited , Tahith Chong was allowed to throw his new Werder clothes on and train with his colleagues. “You have seen that it is difficult to grasp in one-on-one. He has already indicated his qualities, "said a satisfied Baumann, but also warned:" You shouldn't set your expectations too high. He will have to get used to the new team and the new football. "
Werder Bremen is currently only loaning Tahith Chong for one year
However: with a one-year loan, Werder Bremen does not have that much time to benefit from this player. But Frank Baumann is quite relaxed there. “The loan is initially only designed for this season, but you will see what will develop out of it.” The sports director gave the example of Marco Friedl, who Werder signed on after the loan from FC Bayern. Of course, Bremen would have liked to do that with Tahith Chong now , but that was not possible. Just like in winter, when Werder made their first small advance. But Manchester United continues to rely on the player from their own offspring, who moved to the island from Feyenoord Rotterdam as a youth.
Chong was only allowed to play three times in the Premier League last season, and in six of eleven games in the Europa League. He missed the semi-final against Sevilla FC due to his move. Last season , Tahith Chong only scored in reserve in Premier League 2, five times in six games, plus five assists. Werder Bremen observed him especially there .
“He's a young player with potential. We want to tease this potential out of him, "said Baumann, but at the same time emphasized:" He's also not very young and inexperienced. " . Tahith Chong , who doesn't speak any German apart from “Yes” and “No”, has recognized this for himself and wants to work on it.
Tahith Chong: That's why the newcomer decided to move to Werder Bremen
This is one of the reasons why he switched to Werder Bremen, where Tahith Chong is hoping for a lot of match practice. Nevertheless, it is surprising that he and Manchester United have chosen a near-relegated tutor as a tutor. But Frank Baumann sees it differently. Four factors played a role. "The Bundesliga has a very good reputation in England. In recent years there have been many examples of young players who have developed very well here," said the sports director and of course also meant a Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund. “You can also tell there that we were on the right track before the bad season,” Baumann asserted and immediately brought his coach into play: “ Florian Kohfeldt is an important factor when we convince a player with the way we play our football want. This is always a very important argument, especially for offensive players. And Tahith is someone who needs a team that wants to play football so that they can get their actions on the offensive. "
A Milot Rashica would have benefited from this - and before that it was also an issue with Serge Gnabry and Kevin de Bruyne. The experts did not miss how well these offensive players developed in Bremen. Tahith Chong will celebrate his test match premiere against Linz ASK on Wednesday - and then no longer just force his own teammates to commit fouls. (kni) * DeichStube.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.