“We quickly became friends here”

The summer of 2023 saw two Belgian players join the Green-Whites: Senne Lynen and Olivier Deman. Although the two were born in the same city, their paths only crossed later in life when they found themselves living in Bremen. In an interview, the duo discussed their friendship, a shared passion for golf and the surroundings at training camp. 

WERDER.DE: Moin you two, which of you is the better golfer? 

Senne Lynen: Definitely Olli. 

WERDER.DE: That was very honest of you. 

Olivier Deman: That’s because I play more often. 

Senne Lynen: How long have you been golfing now? 

Olivier Deman: I started about two years ago, and I’ve been going more often lately.

WERDER.DE: Clearly you both enjoy it, so much so that you went golfing with some of your Belgian friends. 

Olivier Deman: Yes, that was in Portugal. We’d been planning for four or five months already. We both had friends from Belgium with us and I had a lot of fun – I think Senne did as well.

Senne Lynen: Yeah, it was really great. There were eight of us and everyone knew each other. It was just a big group of mates, which made for a really good time.  

WERDER.DE: You two met here in Bremen. Have you become close friends over the last three years?

Senne Lynen: Definitely. We already had some mutual friends, but we didn’t really know each other. It didn’t take long once we met in Bremen.

Olivier Deman: Senne also attended my wedding. We quickly became friends here.  

WERDER.DE: You were both born in Antwerp, just a year apart, and both went on to become professional footballers. Shouldn’t your paths have crossed earlier?

Olivier Deman: I moved to a different city when I was still very young. However, we were both in the Club Brugge academy at the same time. 

WERDER.DE: And you never crossed paths there?

Olivier Deman: Senne was a year old than me, which is why we didn’t play together. I wasn’t there for very long and it’s also been more than ten years since those days. 

Senne Lynen: There was also a lot of other things happening around us at the time. We attended different schools. 

WERDER.DE: There had only been three Belgian players at Werder before you two.  Along with Samuel Mbangula, there are currently three Belgians at the club. Has Werder developed a reputation for being a great club for not only Austrians, but for Belgians as well? 

Olivier Deman: Werder is a great club for players from many different countries. We have a lot of Austrian players, but it’s a great place for Belgians as well. After all, it’s not so far away for us. 

WERDER.DE: Belgium isn’t particularly known for its mountains. How are you liking it here in Zillertal? 

Senne Lynen: I really like it here. We always want to come here, because the hotel is amazing. The people are very friendly, many of our fans make the trip down and we grow close as a team while we’re here. The weather is also better than last year, and the fresh mountain air is always nice. 

Olivier Deman: I’m more of a beach person myself, but it’s also really nice here. I enjoy it even more in the winter. We have everything here that we need, and more. 

WERDER.DE: Olli was able to really make his breakthrough at Werder in the second half of last season. Why did it happen for him at that moment, Senne?

Senne Lynen: As is often the case, it’s all dependent on luck, and the same goes for football. He’s had some bad luck with injuries. It’s difficult to say why he has now managed to break through. I saw the quality he has as a player early on. I’m very happy that he’s now managed to achieve this and show everyone his strengths. 

WERDER.DE: As for you, Senne, you’ve now featured in 100 games but are yet to score a goal for Werner. Any reasons why he will soon manage to check off that milestone as well, Olli?  

Olivier Deman: He’s come close a few times. He also plays further back from the goal and doesn’t always find himself in a position where he could shoot. When he has managed to strike the ball well, the goalkeepers have unfortunately been able to make the save. He’ll definitely score soon. You hit the bar against Leverkusen right before Couli scored, or? 

Senne Lynen: I hit the crossbar once and the post twice last season.

Olivier Deman: Maybe the coach should put you up front when we’ve got a corner. You’re pretty good at headers. 

WERDER.DE: If you could take one of Senne’s qualities as a player, which one would it be, Olli? 

Olivier Deman: He always knows what’s going on. From his first touch, Senne knows where the opponent is coming up behind him and where his teammates are. If I could pick one thing, it would be this. 

WERDER.DE: And now the same question for you, Senne.

Senne Lynen: I would definitely take his left foot. Then I’d have my right and his left, which would be a great combination. 

WERDER.DE: Thank you both for taking the time!