Bundesliga: Ole Werner is the new coach of RB Leipzig

Before Jürgen Klopp and the other sporting officials at RB Leipzig approached Ole Werner in search of a new coach, they had already received several rejections.

Initially, the Red Bull bosses tried to sign coaches such as Cesc Fabregas (Como 1907), Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace) and Jacob Neestrup (FC Copenhagen), but now it is Werner, for whom RB is paying a transfer fee of 1.5 million euros.

No European Cup, stars about to leave

The 37-year-old was released from Bremen at the end of May after announcing that he would not extend his contract, which expired in 2026. Werder Bremen already found a successor at the end of May in Horst Steffen, who joined Bremen from almost-promoted SV Elversberg .

Now Werner is tasked with leading the Leipzig team, backed by the multi-billion dollar Red Bull Group, back to success. RB Leipzig finished the last Bundesliga season in seventh place, missing out on European competition for the first time since being promoted to the Bundesliga in 2016. Therefore, it's possible that stars Xavi Simons and Benjamin Sesko will leave the club, leaving Werner to oversee a personnel shake-up.

Werner: "Big goals and ambitions"

"Ole is a young, up-and-coming, and extremely ambitious head coach who will take the next step in his development with us," says Leipzig's sporting director Marcel Schäfer, confident of the new man on the bench. The club has been following Werner's career closely for some time: "Ole represents a clear playing philosophy, which he successfully applied to the pitch during his stints in Kiel and Bremen."

Werner himself, who has signed a contract until 2027, is looking forward to his new role with anticipation. "RB Leipzig stands for a bold and offensive style of play with a recognizable quality, for a professional and ambitious mindset," he said. "The club has ambitious goals and aspirations. These are precisely the parameters that convinced me and to which I want to contribute."