Werder Bremen reflect on hopes and tactical role for André Silva | OneFootball

The blockbuster Bundesliga move that saw RB Leipzig striker André Silva join Werder Bremen on loan has yet to produce much. Silva played 38 minutes as a substitute in last week’s 3-0 loss against Bayern Munich. The Portuguese forward worked as a half-nine behind lead striker Marvin Ducksch (and later Oliver Burke), recording 21 touches and three carries, yet didn’t register a shot on target.

German football lovers naturally remain insatiably curious about what will happen with the former Eintracht Frankfurt star in the Hanseatic city state. Current curiosity rivals that of the time another former Eintracht exciter – Colombian striker Rafael Santos Borré – moved from Hessen to Bremen on loan last season.

Borré didn’t disappoint athletically, scoring four goals during the first half of the season. The disaffected Colombian’s desire to return to his native continent nevertheless meant that a premature departure, replete with ugly ramifications, ended Borré’s time in German football last spring.

Acutely aware of the fact that the Borré move proved a flop, not to mention all the disappointment involved with Naby Keïta’s disastrous spell in northern Germany, left head coach Ole Werner and club licensing head Peter Niemeyer keeping their comments cautious this week.

Clemens Fritz and the club front office certainly hedged their bets in constructing the loan agreement. It’s common knowledge that Leipzig are still shouldering a large portion of Silva’s salary as part of the deal. Bremen have kept recent history in mind and tampered the risk.

Silva still qualifies as quite a different player than Keïta or Borré. The latter was more of a lone-operating forward whilst the former worked as an attacking midfielder. Silva has experience in a double-striker setep, indeed thriving in that regard alongside Bas Dost, Gonçalo Paciencia and Luka Jovic at Eintracht.

Has the long-sought-after replacement for Niclas Füllkrug been procured? Werner and Niemeyer were quick not to jump to any conclusions. Comments nevertheless suggest Silva will get his shot soon. It might even be the case that Silva starts above Ducksch.

Much of Silva’s success in Frankfurt also had to do with quality crosses sent in his direction by Filip Kostic. Werder’s strength at the wing-back positions (Mitchell Weiser, Derrick Köhn, Issa Kaboré, and Felix Agu) are surely working with the new man in training.

“He’s settled in well, which isn’t always easy in the winter,” Werner said at his Friday press conference. “He’s made a good impression and I’m convinced of his quality. He’s an option for everything with us.

“André is a player with great quality between the spaces and has a good nose inside the box,” Werner remarked earlier this week at a Wednesday media round. “On top of that, he also runs really hard.”

“André fits our style of play very well,” Niemeyer added on Wednesday. “He can make an immediate impact as a proven professional. [Moving him up alongside Ducksch] could be an option. There are also several other options.”

GGFN | Peter Weis