Fritz congratulates Keïta on Olympic nomination: "He can only benefit."
After an unfortunate season that ultimately saw him suspended for the final six match days after he abandoned his team in the middle of a round 28 Bundesliga fixture, SV Werder Bremen summer 2023 signing Naby Keïta was selected by many as the biggest flop of the 2023/24 Bundesliga season. The 29-year-old ended up having a highly disappointing year for both club and country.
The former Leipzig and Liverpool star eventually found himself benched for Kaba Diawara's "Syli National" as the West Africans progressed deeper in the tournament. Keïta then struggled mightily with his confidence upon his return to Germany. The ignominious end to the season left most German football watchers convinced he had no future in the Hanseatic city-state.
Keïta nevertheless still has two years left on the deal he signed with Werder last summer. One assumes that it shall prove difficult for Bremen to offload a player carrying the reputation of "damaged goods". Keïta maintains the opportunity to rebuild himself. This likely served as the main reason why SVW managing director Clemens Fritz was quick to congratulate him on his Olympic nomination yesterday.
"We're delighted for Naby and of course we're not standing in the way of his participation," Fritz noted in a statement published on the club's website yesterday, "The tournament is certainly a great incentive for him to prove himself. He can only benefit from that."
Keïta will represent Guinea as one of the three veteran players permitted to fill the U23 roster. The one-time Guinean captain may be permitted to don the armband once again. The "National Elephants" have been drawn into a group with tournament favorites France, the United States, and New Zealand.