17 November 2023 , 08:53
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The career of Timo Werner continues to stall with RB Leipzig now set to cut short his second stint at the club.
Werner left the German club for Chelsea in June 2020 in a £47.5million deal, shortly after then manager Frank Lampard was able to make signings after having a transfer embargo lifted. But the forward failed to live up to expectations in his two years at Stamford Bridge, scoring just 23 times in 89 club appearances.
He was part of the side that won the Champions League under Lampard's replacement, Thomas Tuchel, and also helped the club capture the European Super Cup and Club World Cup. A £25.3million move back to Leipzig in 2022 was perceived as a chance to revive his career, but after a modest first season back he's started just two games in the 2023/24 campaign.
Leipzig director Rouven Schroder has publicly admitted the player is struggling and could be set to move on. "We look carefully at our squad, and we want players who have that something a bit different in their heads," he told reporters.
"Those are the types of players who we will pick. Timo is going through a difficult spell, and we are supporting him. Life isn’t always sunshine. If he has the notion that he would like to do something else, then we will deal with it."
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Both Lois Openda and Benjamin Sesko have been preferred to Werner by manager Marco Rose this season, and Schroder also implied that the role of the 27-year-old was set to remain a bit-part one, adding: "He is a part of our team, and he has to face up to competition for places."
Timo Werner failed to impress at Chelsea despite helping them win the Champions League (Offside via Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! What went wrong for Timo Werner? Comment below.
Werner, who has won 57 caps for Germany and scored 24 times, missed out on the World Cup in Qatar with injury. But he may now wonder how things may have panned out if he had instead signed for Liverpool three-and-a-half-years ago, a move which appeared on the cards before Chelsea came calling.
At the time, the Reds seemingly baulked at the asking price and gave Chelsea a free run at the transfer, although former player John Barnes claimed that was a deliberate ploy from the club to find out Werner's intentions, saying "This is a test to see if he really wants to come and play for Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool."
If the Stuttgart youth product failed that test, then he's undoubtedly struggling to pass his latest one too. There were links to a return to the Premier League with Newcastle last summer, but a move never materialised.