Naby Keita has acknowledged that his decision to join Werder Bremen will have caught fans by surprise after leaving Liverpool at the end of his contract.
The Guinean won every major prize during his five seasons with the Reds, but his Anfield career was ultimately blemished by injury following his £52.75m switch for RB Leipzig in the summer of 2018. In his final season with Liverpool, he would register just 13 appearances, starting only three times in the Premier League, with his last appearance came in late-February when he was substituted at half-time away at Crystal Palace following a dismal showing.
Despite such struggles, it was still a surprise to see the 28-year-old sign for a side who were relegated from the Bundesliga as recently as 2021. While they secured an immediate return to the top-flight, they finished 13th in the table this year, three points above the relegation play-off place.
To put Bremen’s exploits into context, while they were challenging for promotion, Keita was competing in Champions League, FA Cup, and League Cup finals as Liverpool fought for an unprecedented quadruple. Reports in Germany claim the midfielder has taken a massive pay-cut to join the Bundesliga outfit now, with his three-year deal said to be worth roughly £30k-a-week.
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Speaking in his first interview after his move to Bremen was confirmed, Keita has explained why he made the decision to join the club after leaving Liverpool.
“I understand that many people are wondering why I am making the move from Liverpool FC to Werder Bremen,” he told Werder TV. “When I spoke to the coach and the sporting director, they told me about the club’s project.
“After that, I thought about it a lot, with my family too. In the end, I had to make a decision and I chose Werder Bremen. I am very happy with this decision and will give everything to the team in the coming season.
“Before, I was on the other side, now I’m part of Werder Bremen. I don’t like to talk about myself that much. I’m sure there will be some who don’t give Werder a lot of credit, but I’m looking forward to the task ahead.
“I’ve watched videos of Werder and think that if I can bring my quality to the team, we will be successful next season. I firmly believe in the capabilities of this team.”
Meanwhile, the 28-year-old also admitted that he had missed playing in Germany following his move to Liverpool.
“Yes, I missed that time very much,” he said. “But now I’m back in the Bundesliga and hope to continue the old times. Of course, some things have changed.
“When I was in England, I kept watching the Bundesliga and saw that there were many talented young players. Now I’m back and I’ll work even harder to help my team.”
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