Naby Keita row rumbles on as club chief tells banished ex-Liverpool star he has to leave

Naby Keita left Liverpool in the summer of 2023 after an injury-hit spell under Jurgen Klopp but has endured a nightmare since joining Bundesliga side Werder Bremen on a free transfer

Naby Keita has been told to leave Werder Bremen as his bitter spat with the German side continues.

The ex- Liverpool star joined the Bundesliga club in the summer of 2023 on a free transfer at the end of his Reds deal. But it has been a rotten spell for the midfielder.

Keita made just five appearances across an injury-hit debut campaign, while he was then slammed with a club suspension. It was reported that he refused to board the side’s team bus ahead of a clash with eventual champions Bayer Leverkusen after finding out he would not be starting.

He was eventually banished from the first team, while he was also fined a “significant amount”. With just under two years remaining on his contract, the 29-year-old has now been told to find a new club.

Werder Bremen Ole Herner said to Kicker : “I do believe that we have been very, very humane and very, very transparent with him at all times since he joined us.

“Keita is not our issue right now, and I believe that it’s best for both sides to simply look ahead and into the future, to see what good solutions Naby can find for himself and what solutions we can find without him.”

Keita has since claimed that he had apologised for the incident, something that Werner is unaware of. He added: “It could be that it somehow happened in the meantime, it just wouldn’t have reached me.”

Werner’s comments come after Keita had spoken out on his row with his current employers. He insisted that he had apologised, and was keen to just get back out on the pitch.

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As quoted by The Guardian, he said: “In my last year at Liverpool, I didn’t play much and when I arrived here, I was motivated. We’ll have to talk about the bus incident one day, but everyone who knows me knows that I’m a professional and that I’m not undisciplined.

“Despite everything, I apologised to the group even before the end of last season because we’re all human and nobody’s perfect. Wherever I’ve been, from Salzburg to Leipzig to Liverpool, I’ve always tried to be exemplary.”

Keita added: “A lot of people say to me: ‘Naby, you’re injured, why don’t you want to play for Bremen?’ I say: ‘No, I’m fine.’ Since I came back from the Africa Cup of Nations [in February], all I’ve wanted to do is play for the fans and the club. But it’s not up to me.

“The club decided to put me with the under-23s. I’m training with them and helping the youngsters while I wait for the wheels to turn. The fans have shown me a lot of love and they deserve to see me return that love on the pitch.”

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