Werder Bremen part ways with head coach Ole Werner | OneFootball

Ole Werner is no longer SV Werder's head coach (Photo: WERDER.DE).

The SV Werder Bremen hierarchy have parted ways with head coach Ole Werner with immediate effect after he informed the club he will not extend his contract beyond its expiry in June 2026.

“We are really disheartened by this decision, because we could have easily imagined working with Ole in the long term. However, we need continuity and clarity for the future for this role, which is why we have decided to part ways with Ole. This decision was also unanimously supported by the supervisory board. Especially when it comes to squad planning, the continued development of the team and our future direction, it’s essential to be able to plan long term in this position. From the outset, we wanted to avoid starting the season with a head coach entering the final year of his contract. Ole’s decision not to extend his contract prompted us to make this call now, as it’s extremely difficult to move forward with personnel planning when it’s unclear who the head coach will be next year,” explained Clemens Fritz, managing director of professional football.

“We would like to thank Ole for the last three and half years and the outstanding work he has done at Werder Bremen. We had a very strong and trusting working relationship with him. Ole continuously developed the team and had a big influence on successfully establishing Werder back in the Bundesliga," added Fritz.

“It was anything but an easy decision for me to not extend my contract,” said Ole Werner. “But I’ve often said that my work is about developing a club. And once a certain point is reached, there are usually two options: either you make changes around the coach, or you change the coach. For me, it was clear that after my contract ends – and after four and a half years – a change of head coach is needed to enable further development. That’s why I made the decision for next summer and informed the club’s management. I understand Werder’s decision from the club’s perspective. I had a wonderful time in Bremen with my coaching team, fantastic staff, a great squad and club officials whose support I always felt.”

The top priority for the club’s management is now finding a new head coach. “Our goal is to appoint a new coach in the short term who can continue the successful development of the past three years and who suits Werder both in terms of footballing philosophy and as a person,” said Clemens Fritz.

Alongside Ole Werner, assistant coaches Patrick Kohlmann, Tom Cichon and Hannes Drews will also be leaving the club. They too deserve great thanks for the work they have done for SV Werder Bremen.