It’s two years since Werder’s board of directors welcomed Frank Baumann as the club’s new sporting director. Today it was announced that Baumann had signed a contract extension, showing clearly that the club are happy with his work and want it to continue.
WERDER.DE: Marco, you have some good news!
Marco Bode: “Indeed, today we have an important contract renewal to announce: we’ve agreed to extend Frank Baumann’s contract for another two years. This means that he’ll be here for another three years altogether. We reached an agreement over the summer after some positive discussions and the board are very pleased, but we didn’t really doubt that we’d get it done.”
WERDER.DE: So you were sure from the start that Frank would stay at Werder?
Marco Bode: “That’s right. We let on quite early at the end of last season that we wanted to contract extension talks over the summer. Frank also made it clear very early that he wanted to continue his role. He had a lot to do this summer, but whether contract extensions and transfers worked out wasn’t an issue, we’re very satisfied with his work anyway. There’s a sense of optimism surrounding the club at the moment, but that doesn’t mean that it’ll be easy. We have a good chance to move forward and that’s our goal – from the club, from the team and from the Werder fans.”
WERDER:DE: At Werder, you judge the work of the management team on the supervisory board and there’s interaction between the two. What do you think of Frank? Surely the board must be pleased with the transfer window?
Marco Bode: “What Frank did this summer with improving the team was an important indicator that we’re on the right track. He job is very complex. He deals with the composition of the squad and contract negotiations but day-to-day he’s the most important contact for Florian Kohfeldt. The two are a great pair and will hopefully be at Werder for many years to come.”
WERDER.DE: Let’s take a look at the start to the season. We’ve had two Bundesliga games and one DFB-Pokal match. What do you think so far?
Marco Bode: “The results are great – we’re very happy with the Bundesliga start and also the cup game. It was a good, courageous team performance in Worms, we know it can be difficult. Four points from two games in the league is completely fine. Of course we had a bit of luck here and there, and both games could have turned out differently. The team has to therefore stay focussed and work hard. Nevertheless, the board are happy with how we’ve started the season. You can really tell that everyone wants to work to achieve our ambitious goals this year.”
We want to be a special club, with a special atmosphere.Marco Bode, chairman of the supervisory board
WERDER.DE: The key word here seems to be ‘goals’. Have you set Frank Baumann any goals to achieve with his new contract?
Marco Bode: “There has been a lot of talk about goals and ambitions in the past week. Of course, we all want Werder to get back into Europe – that’s certainly one of Frank’s goals, but we know it’ll be difficult and it’s not all down to him. He and Florian Kohfeldt together will be key for us reaching our targets, and we’re convinced that the two of them can do it.”
WERDER.DE: Frank’s been sporting director of Werder for a few years now, how important was this decision looking back?
Marco Bode: “I remember when we appointed Frank quite well, because we only just stayed up under Viktor Skripnik. After the last-minute win against Eintracht Frankfurt on the final day, there was a great feeling at the club. Frank then came in and has had a lot of influence, especially on the putting together of the squad. He’s also implemented his philosophy and made known his ambitions to take Werder back to a higher level. Frank is the personification of what it is to be Werder and he works together with Florian Kohfeldt to achieve this – this is the combination that’s needed in football. We want to be a special club with a special atmosphere.”
