There was plenty to discuss during the opening press conference of the new season on Monday morning. Plenty of new faces, preparations for the new season, the search for new signings – Frank Baumann and Alexander Nouri spent 45 minutes answering questions from journalists. You could feel the sense of excitement for the upcoming 2017/18 season. “I’m really looking forward to it,” said Nouri. WERDER.DE have summed up the most important topics and statements below.
+++ The search for another striker and central defender: Over the past few weeks, Frank Baumann has been suggesting that Werder are on the lookout for another striker and a central defender. He reiterated this again during the opening press conference on Monday morning. “We will make a lot of effort to sign another striker,” he said. Baumann explained that recent loan signing Yuning Zhang has a lot of potential and we want to develop him into a Bundesliga player." Werder are focusing on permanently signing a central striker. “We have spent a lot of time researching who we could sign, but so is every other club now,” he explained. Alexander Nouri added that Werder also wanted to strengthen their defence. He discussed the possibility of calling youth player Jesper Verlaat up to the first team, describing him as a ‘talented, young player who the club want to develop further.”
+++ Chance for Jóhannsson as Manneh goes out on loan: Another Werder forward player is set to go out on loan. Ousman Manneh will be loaned out this season to gain important match experience at a high level. Manneh only made six appearances for the first team last season, before moving down to make 20 appearances for the Werder U23s. His strike partner Aron Jóhannsson will now get the chance to prove why he should be picked for the spot.
+++ Accepting Wiedwald’s decision: During the press conference, Alexander Nouri spoke on the departure of Felix Wiedwald. “We wanted to increase competition for the goalkeeping position. In the end, Felix decided that he wanted to leave for a new club and we must accept his decision. We wish him the best of luck for next season,” said Nouri.
+++ Finding the right balance: Alexander Nouri wants the Werder players to find the right balance between working hard and having fun during pre-season preparations. “We want to improve in all areas. We need to bring more stability to our defence, but we also need to learn how to change things up on the pitch a bit more. I want to emphasise the importance of collective responsibility here. What I’m trying to say is, the whole team is responsible for our performances,” explained Nouri.
+++ Saying goodbye to ‘Piza’: Claudio Pizarro’s final chapter at Werder Bremen is not finished yet. Werder’s record all-time goal scorer should, and will have a testimonial. Frank Baumann explained to journalists at the press conference that the date has not yet been decided. “No details have been confirmed yet. First, Claudio must finish his career. We don’t know when that will be. It could even be in one or two years yet. We will discuss organising a testimonial for him nearer the time,” stated Baumann. We know one thing for sure: we can expect an incredible atmosphere at a Claudio Pizarro testimonial at the Weser-Stadion!
