Before SV Werder began their training for the second half of the season on the morning of Tuesday, 2nd January 2024, our head of professional football Clemens Fritz spoke, among other things, about the transfer market and the rumours concerning striker Rafael Borré.
During the short winter break, the club has this year decided not to take part in a training camp but instead to kick off their preparations for the remainder of the season in Bremen. “We’ve not got a lot of time to prepare this year,” explained Fritz. “We wouldn’t have been able to train much on the days of travel. We invested in our training pitches in summer and the conditions here are good.”
In addition to the long-term absentees and Naby Keïta (Africa Cup of Nations), Rafael Borré was also absent from the training pitch. The Colombian, who has recently been linked with a move to another club, was granted an extra day off after travelling back from his home country. “We know how lucky we are to have Rafa and we rate him very highly,” said Fritz in relation to the transfer rumours concerning the Eintracht Frankfurt loanee. “We have no intention of letting him leave.”
SVW are of course keeping their eyes peeled during the now-open transfer window. Even though he said there will be less movement in the market in winter than in the summer, Fritz did not rule out activity in terms of in- or outgoings. “Making permanent signings in order to add value to the club is always a priority,” said the 43-year-old. “We're trying to do something that also makes sense from a sporting perspective.” He though stated that it is unlikely that any possible new signing would be available for the away game in Bochum on 14th January at 15:30 CET.
