Overview
- Werder confirmed the 25-year-old right-back’s one-year loan from Southampton, with a purchase option for next summer that reports place at about €6 million.
- Sugawara said he is fit and ready for selection this weekend against Bayer Leverkusen, and coaching staff indicated he could start given the shortage at right-back.
- Multiple defenders are out for extended periods, including Olivier Deman and Mitchell Weiser, with further doubts over Julián Malatini, leaving Felix Agu as the only established fullback available.
- The former AZ Alkmaar mainstay made 30 Premier League appearances for Southampton last season and, with a market value near €11 million, becomes one of Werder’s most valuable defenders.
- Werder’s summer focus has been loans with buy options due to budget limits, and separate reports say a deal to borrow Leeds United fullback Isaac Schmidt is agreed and he is expected in Bremen on Thursday.