Naby Keita has been banished for the rest of the season by Werder Bremen as the former Liverpool midfielder's first season back in Germany goes from bad to worse.
Guinea international Keita left Anfield on a free transfer in the summer after five years with the Reds following a much-heralded £52.75million move from RB Leipzig. He was part of the squads which won both the Champions League and Premier League on Merseyside, but frequent injury issues dogged his time with the club.
The 29-year-old appeared 129 times over five seasons with the Reds, but after moving to Werder in the summer his injury curse struck again. He has played just five times for the club, and refused to join the squad for their weekend trip to Bayer Leverkusen after learning he wasn't in the team.
Upon discovering that he wasn't in the side to face Xabi Alonso's title winners, Keita decided not to board the team bus and instead headed home. Werder have now taken action against him and barred him from the club for the rest of the season.
The club said in a statement: "Werder Bremen officials have suspended Naby Keita until the end of the season. In addition, the Green-Whites have imposed a significant fine on the midfielder. From now on, the 29-year-old will neither train with the team nor spend time in the professional dressing room.
Jurgen Klopp's approach with Robert Lewandowski bodes well for Darwin Nunez
Naby Keita has only played five times for Werder Bremen (Stefan Matzke)“Naby’s behavior cannot be tolerated for us as a club. With this action, he let his team down in a tense sporting and personnel situation and placed himself above the team. We can't allow that. At this stage of the season we need full focus on the remaining games and a team that is very close together. "
Clemens Fritz, the club's head of football, added: "There was therefore no alternative to our measures."
In a post on social media before the announcement, Keita refuted suggestions that he had stormed off. He wrote: "I wish to clarify my situation at my club Werder Bremen. Ever since I arrived at this magnificent club, I have always shown my professionalism.
The midfielder won the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool (Bradley Ormesher NMCPool)"I have always tried to help the club and the great supporters, especially during this time of poor results. Since the start of my career I have never had problems with my discipline and have always shown an exemplary attitude. I will not accept any person trying to tarnish my image.
"To the supporters, I would like you to know that in every training session, I fight so that I can make you happy every weekend. Training, giving everything, these are the limits of my power. To my teammates, good luck for our match. Go Werder!"
It was reported that Keita signed a three-year deal with Werder when he joined in the summer, but his suspension is set to lead to his future at the club coming into question.
and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
