Overview
- Werder officially opened their summer preparation with a first-team session at the Osterdeich on Sunday, featuring a warm-up, an 11v11 drill and a finishing contest run largely in English.
- Sporting director Clemens Fritz demanded players be “completely in football mode” and said the weeks before the DFB-Pokal opener are vital for team cohesion and form.
- The club has completed seven signings so far and says two to three more arrivals remain possible depending on departures, with further moves not ruled out before the Zillertal training camp.
- Several internationals from recent tournaments were on holiday and some players trained separately for fitness reasons, including Justin Njinmah with muscular issues and Mitchell Weiser returning from a cruciate ligament injury.
- The restart follows a season-long survival fight and a coaching change in February, and the front-loaded transfer work is meant to create breathing room but still requires player sales and rapid on-field integration to change the club’s trajectory.