Why Werder Bremen have made a change at wingback

It’s been a relatively eventful opening to the winter transfer window for SV Werder Bremen. 

Two bits of business were officially announced on Monday afternoon. The day began with the arrival of Issa Kaboré on loan from Manchester City. Later on there was a departure, as Olivier Deman was loaned out to Belgian outfit Royal Antwerp.

Both players are wingbacks, so in terms of depth at that position nothing has really changed for Werder. However, both deals were necessary, even if things revert to normal at the end of the campaign.

The first domino

The first domino was Deman. Signed the previous offseason, the Cercle Brugge man showed signs of promise early on. He was a threat going forward, and at the age of 23 there was plenty of room to grow.

Things changed this campaign. The player himself hadn’t gotten much worse or anything, but others at the club were simply ahead of him in the pecking order. Mitchell Weiser has stayed superb following a contract extension, while new man Derrick Köhn had hit the ground running.

Deman hadn’t even hit 100 minutes in all competitions. For someone of his talent and ambition, this wasn’t enough. According to quotes from Bremen management the player simply asked them to either feature him more in the team or to let him earn playtime elsewhere on loan.

Since they couldn’t promise him the latter, they took care of the latter.

“Oliver (Deman) understandably would like more football, something we cannot guarantee him at the moment at Werder. As a result of that, we’ve agreed to his request for a loan move. We hope that Olli can get as many minutes as possible in Antwerp,” said head of professional football Peter Niemeyer in the official press release.

From one loan move to another

That’s where Kaboré comes in. See, even though Deman wasn’t playing much, someone is still needed to fill his role in the squad. Someone has to be the backup or in the reserves. One untimely injury or suspension could derail a season if there isn’t enough cover.

Werder had the aforementioned Weiser and Köhn, plus Felix Agu, who is out with a lateral collateral ligament injury and is expected to remain sidelined for several weeks. With Deman gone, that's only three wingbacks to cover two starting spots - and currently just two fit ones, with Agu sidelined. Someone else was needed.

The club turned to an unlikely source, English powerhouse Manchester City. They owned Issa Kaboré, a young but experienced wingback. 

While he’s never featured for them, he’s had several different loan moves in top leagues, featuring for clubs like KV Mechelen, Troyes, Olympique Marseille, Luton Town, and Benfica. He is also a full international, representing Burkina Faso over 40 times. 

However, the latest of those loan moves was not going to plan. Kaboré had some opportunities early on at Benfica, but it had become clear he wasn’t a real option anymore. He only registered a single minute of action since November 7th. 

As a result, City decided to cut that deal short and to instead send him to Bremen. While he won’t be a consistent name in the starting lineup, he should certainly get more chances in the team, especially during the final parts of the season when fatigue really becomes an issue. 

Compared with Hakimi

Kaboré’s profile fits the sort of player Werder likes to use in the wingback positions. He’s flexible, able to push forward or track back on both wings. His pace is one of his best assets, and that speed is what allows him to fly around the pitch.

“Issa is a very exciting player who’s got experience in a number of different leagues in different countries despite his young age,” said Niemeyer. “He fits the profile we wanted perfectly, as he’s flexible and can play on both sides. We want to make sure that we have multiple options for every position.

The official Bundesliga site compares him to PSG’s Achraf Hakimi, highlighting his willingness to attack and whip in crosses. It feels like he also has a similar profile to Derrick Köhn, which would be useful in terms of keeping the team playing the same way no matter which player is in the lineup.

It’s unclear how much of an impact Kaboré will ultimately have at the Weserstadion, but if he can play even a small part in helping the club secure European football, then he’ll be remembered as a hero in Bremen.

Short-term deals

The good thing for Werder is that this only has to be a short-term change. Both Deman and Kaboré’s deals are only loan deals for the rest of the season. 

In the press release for Deman’s departure Bremen even states that he’ll return in the summer, making no mention of the move potentially becoming a permanent one. It’s the same story for Kaboré but with the sides flipped.

So if Deman revitalizes his career in Belgium and Kaboré fails to meet the standard, there’d be no worries at all for Bremen. They’d get an improved version of their old player, while the other man involved would be allowed to leave with no hard feelings at all. If the opposite happens things could be tricky, but Werder can reopen negotiations with the other two clubs if need be.

The January window is much more about shrewd bits of business than big-money signings, and Bremen will hope this pair of transactions will help keep them in the upper echelons of the Bundesliga standings.