When Naby Keita left Liverpool to join Werder Bremen, he expected to get regular football and revive his career in style. It’s safe to say things have not gone according to plan for the Guinea international.
Keita joined Liverpool in 2018 for a massive £48 million as Jurgen Klopp looked to bolster his midfield. After earning a reputation as a dynamic, hard-working, deep-lying playmaker at RB Leipzig, big things were expected of Keita.
His time at Anfield was marred by injury issues, though, and, in the summer of 2023, Keita made the switch back to Germany to join Werder Bremen.
Since then, the 29-year-old has made just five appearances for the Bundesliga outfit. Six separate injuries and illnesses have not helped matters but his Bremen career came to an unceremonious standstill in April of this year, when he was suspended by the club.
The suggestion is that Keita refused to travel on the team bus for an away game against Bayer Leverkusen, leaving his coach Ole Werner with no option but to banish the midfielder and have him train with the Under-23 side.
Keita has even been deleted from Bremen’s website after they failed to sell him over the summer.
The man himself has now spoken to The Guardian about the incident and why he decided to join Bremen in the first place.
Naby Keita has spent most of time in Germany on the bench (Image: Getty)
“I had several offers but I decided to sign for Bremen,” he said.
“I was convinced by what the coach and management at Bremen had to say. I just wanted to play football, to be out on the pitch, making passes and scoring goals.”
On the situation regarding his suspension, Keita added: “Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a professional and that I’m not undisciplined. Despite everything, I apologised to the group even before the end of last season because we’re all human and nobody’s perfect.”
Reports suggest Keita held discussions with Sunderland and various clubs in Turkey regarding a move in the summer but none of those moves came to fruition. He is still training with Bremen’s youth team as things stand and it is unclear whether he will ever be allowed back into training with the senior squad.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Liverpool, Naby Keita, Werder Bremen