Werder Bremen dismissed coach Ole Werner after telling the club that he would not extend his contract.
The 37-year-old man was under contract until the end of the 2025-26 campaign, but indicated that he would not renew his agreement beyond this point.
“Since we need continuity and clarity for the job of head coach in the future, we decided to let OLE go,” said Bremen director general for Sport Clemens Fritz.
“We are really discouraged by this decision, because we could easily imagine working with OLE in the long term.”
Werner, considered one of the young German coaches, took over in Bremen when they were in the second division and supervised a promotion, then a constant improvement in the Bundesliga. The team did not miss the European qualification this season, ending in eighth place in the Bundesliga.
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Werner took office as a Bremen coach in unusual circumstances in November 2021 after his predecessor Markus Anfang resigned as he faced an investigation into his use of a false vaccine document COVID-19.
He said: “For me, it was clear that after the end of my contract – and after four and a half years – a change of head coach is necessary to allow subsequent development.
“This is why I made the decision for next summer and I informed the management of the club. I understand Werder’s decision from the point of view of the club. I had a wonderful moment in Bremen with my team of coaches, fantastic staff, a big team and club officials whose support I always felt.”
