Bundesliga side Werder Bremen is experiencing an all-too-familiar feeling when it comes to recent signing Naby Keïta.
Bremen signed the player on a free transfer after his contract with Liverpool wasn’t renewed in the summer, and many in Germany believed that the signing of Keïta was something of a coup for Bremen.
Keïta’s move has been a failure in the early stages, with the old issue of injuries rearing its ugly head at his new club.
Liverpool fans know about Keïta’s injury woes all too well, with it feeling at times like the Guinean midfielder missed more games than he played for the Reds during his mixed five years art Anfield.
There hasn’t been a more divisive player in the last decade for Liverpool than Keïta: some appreciated him; others less so. He was inconsistent, due in part to his lack of continuity because of his injuries.
In the end, FSG and Klopp had no choice but to write off their investment. That’s despite having taken the gamble of paying a sizeable $65m (£53m/€61m) for his signature in 2017, securing him a full year ahead of his Anfield arrival in order to beat off competition. With his injury issues continuing back in the Bundesliga, it’s clear that a contract extension would have been out of the question.
According to German publication SportBild, Werder Bremen is already regretting signing the 28-year-old, with the club believing he is too ‘injury prone’ and a ‘problem’.
Keïta has featured only three times so far for his new side, amounting to just 80 minutes of playing time. Having recently returned from an injury picked up in pre-season, he has now suffered another setback.
Moreover, the player is likely going to miss the first month or two of 2024 due to the latest edition of the African Cup of Nations, which will further infuriate Bremen fans, especially if he continues to miss games in the run up to the Christmas break.
