When Naby Keïta joined Werder Bremen last summer, there was a significant divide amongst the football community.
While some believed it would be the perfect opportunity for the former RB Leipzig midfielder to prove his worth, others suggested that the 29-year-old would continue to underwhelm, largely due to his horrendous injury record—a factor that blighted his Liverpool career.
Unfortunately, those who believed in the latter were proven right, as Keïta suffered six separate injuries, missing a total of 18 games last season, as per Transfermarkt.
Overall, during his one-year stint in Bremen, Keïta featured just five times, amassing a staggeringly low 109 minutes of game time.
However, for all his injury woes, there were multiple examples of the Guniea international displaying unprofessional behaviour last season, causing endless headaches and troubles for Bremen.
Therefore, with his unfortunate injuries and reckless attitude combined, it comes as little surprise that he will depart the Weserstadion this summer, as confirmed by the club.
“It was a very open discussion, through which we arrived at a shared decision that we saw best for the situation. Firstly, we wanted to keep full concentration on the rest of our pre-season and the start of the new campaign, and, secondly, Naby had been thinking this way for some time. Since his situation within the team has not changed, he would like to look for a new challenge. Together with his agent, we want to sort this all out as soon as possible,” explained Clemens Fritz, Head of Football at Bremen, on the joint decision to let Keïta leave.
It is understood that the former Liverpool midfielder will continue training, but away from the first-team squad and on an individual training plan, as he seeks a route out of Bremen.
GGFN | Will Shopland
