Werder boss criticizes Osako's poor form, says club is open to transfer
Werder Bremen trainer Florian Kohfeldt didn't hesitate to pull striker Yuya Osako off the pitch after an ineffective first-half against Union Berlin on Saturday.
After a string of tepid performances, the 30-year-old Japanese international has now earned vocal criticism for the club's scouting director.
After a string of tepid performances, the 30-year-old Japanese international has now earned vocal criticism for the club's scouting director.
| Yuya Osako. | Photo: Werder Bremen |
"He must find his groove again if he's to be considered a valuable addition to our team," Fritz continued, "Yuya needs to get his confidence back in training."
Prior to this weekend's action, Hanseaten trainer Florian Kohfeldt publicly upbraided his team for their lack of effort in recent training sessions. He accused his players of being "sloppy" and "unmotivated" after their return from a brief Christmas break.
After the weekend loss, the dissatisfied trainer had few positive words for the performance delivered by his team. The German journalism corps has probed virtually all Bremen administrators for comment on the matter. The organizational response has been to unreservedly back the young coach and also criticize the players.
Fritz openly confirmed that he would be open to selling Osako during the current transfer window, but acknowledged that there had been no interest for the former FC Köln and 1860 München forward. Oksako's market value has plummeted to €3 million from a peak of €6 million when the club acquired him two years ago.
Should he stay at Bremen, the veteran's status with the Japanese national team may be in peril. A regular starter in the team's run to the 2019 AFC Continental Championship final, Osako scored eight goals for Hajime Moriyasu's Samurai Blue since 2018.