Werder Bremen have undergone significant changes over the summer, with goalkeeper Mio Backhaus, Romano Schmid, Karim Coulibaly, and Leonardo Bittencourt all leaving the club. The departures have been replaced by a group of young and talented players, including Chuki, a 22-year-old playmaker from Valladolid, and Dariusz Stalmach, Kenny Quetent, and Darwin Soylu, who will all have big parts to play this season.
The most high-profile arrival, however, was Niclas Füllkrug, who is back for a third spell at the Weserstadion after joining on loan from West Ham United. The 33-year-old hit 49 goals in 124 appearances across his first two stints in Bremen, helping the club return to the top flight in 2022 and finishing as the Bundesliga’s joint-top scorer 12 months later.
Werder's new recruits will need to hit the ground running, with matches against Freiburg and RB Leipzig coming up at the start of their league campaign. Head coach Thioune has set a target of reaching 40 points as quickly as possible, which will be a key test for the team's new-look squad.