Logical decision: Fritz promoted to managing director

For the occasion, Werder Bremen coach Ole Werner had to give way to his future boss. Before the obligatory press conference for the Bundesliga match on Saturday (3.30pm/Sky) against bottom-of-the-table SV Darmstadt 98, he left the podium to the chairman of the supervisory board Hubertus Hess-Grunewald and Clemens Fritz. What Hess-Grunewald announced in the press room of the Weser Stadium had already been announced by the club shortly beforehand: Clemens Fritz will become SV Werder's managing director of soccer from the summer, succeeding Frank Baumann.

"I'm not just pleased about this because I like Clemens as a person. I also believe that he has played a leading role in initiating many things in the right direction in the time I have been with him. And in that respect, he has more than earned it," said Ole Werner. "That's why I believe this is the right decision for Werder Bremen."

The coach already works closely with Fritz in his role as Head of Professional Football. Fritz has been the favorite for the position since Baumann announced in November that he would step down after the season. However, according to Hess-Grunewald, Werder had also looked at candidates outside the club.

"We have great conviction in Clemens as a person, in his ability to act, in his strategy, in his thinking," said the head of the supervisory body. The decision was unanimous, he emphasized. "We believe that we will have a good future with Clemens."

The Supervisory Board had also brought in an external consultancy agency to look for other potential candidates. "We have heard strong candidates," said Hess-Grunewald. But none had shown that they were more suitable than Fritz.

The Erfurt native has been at the Weser for a long time. He played for Bremen from 2006 to 2017 and was also captain for many years. After his career ended, he moved into management, then still under Klaus Allofs. In 2020, he became Head of Professional Football and worked closely with Baumann.

"Werder Bremen has grown very close to my heart," said the former international. "I want to continue and develop the positive path we have taken in recent years." He had been given the opportunity to develop at Werder, "which is not a matter of course". In this context, he also thanked Frank Baumann, "on the one hand for the trust he has placed in me. But also for the freedom he gave me."

The 48-year-old Baumann has held various management positions at Bremen since 2010. He has been Managing Director Football since May 2016. He will remain associated with the club after his departure. In January, it was announced that he and a regional alliance of entrepreneurs were acquiring shares in the club's hived-off corporation for 38 million euros.