Football Season Guide

Werder Bremen's four-year stay in the top division of German football came under serious threat last season as they struggled to get going despite a change in coach following Horst Steffen's sacking though his replacement Daniel Thioune did just enough to ensure Bremen finished three points clear of the relegation zone. Thioune has managed to keep hold of his job despite failing to oversee a significant improvement in the second half of the campaign. Bremen will head into the new season without three of their regular starters from last season with promising defender Karim Coulibaly sold to Strasbourg while first choice midfielder Romano Schmid has also left for Italian side Frosinone. Mio Backhaus was the undisputed first choice keeper last season, starting all but two games in the Bundesliga, but has also been sold to Freiburg. Other departures include important squad options such as Leonardo Bittencourt, Cameron Puertas, Yukinari Sugawara, Isaac Schmidt and Maximilian Wöber. Bremen have boosted their goalkeeping options by converting Karl Hein's loan into a permanent move, though he will be starting the new season injured, while Alexander Schlager has also been signed on a free transfer. Two of their most crucial arrivals could very well be Club Brugge midfielder Ludovit Reis while Niclas Füllkrug has returned to the club, on loan from West Ham United and is expected to challenge for the starting spot. Other arrivals include Eren Dinkçi, Dariusz Stalmach and Chuki, all of whom will be adding depth across midfield and attack, while Oskar Wojcik arrives from Cracovia as a potential replacement for Coulibaly. Scoring goals was a major weakness for Bremen last season, the club managed just 37 goals, with bottom-placed St Pauli the only team to score fewer. Bremen have tried to address the issue by signing Fullkrug but the attacker has struggled with injuries in recent campaigns while they have also lost an important creative player in Schmid.