Horst Steffen takes over as coach at Werder Bremen!

Horst Steffen takes over as coach at Werder Bremen!

Horst Steffen is now the new coach of Werder Bremen. The decision was officially confirmed by the Bundesliga club on Thursday, May 29, 2025. Steffen succeeds Ole Werner, who was released with immediate effect at the beginning of the week after announcing that he did not want to extend his contract until 2026. Under Werner, Werder scored an average of 1.44 points in 128 competitive games and ended last season in eighth place in the league with 51 points.

Steffen's commitment quickly became clear after Werner was released, as he was considered the favorite for the coaching position. The 56-year-old had already given his commitment to the club on Tuesday. The unifying element in the negotiations was the transfer fee, as Steffen was under contract with SV Elversberg until 2026. Under his leadership, the SVE, where Steffen worked for the last two years, achieved promotion from the Regionalliga Südwest to the 2nd league. However, the team missed promotion to the Bundesliga on Monday in relegation against 1. FC Heidenheim.

A maker of improvements with experience

Horst Steffen is considered a good supporter of young talent and a so-called “improver-maker”. He also brings extensive experience from the Bundesliga, where he played 207 Bundesliga and 75 second division games for Bayer Uerdingen, Borussia Mönchengladbach and MSV Duisburg during his playing career. Before his time in Elversberg, he was head coach at Chemnitzer FC, Stuttgarter Kickers and Preußen Münster and also worked in the youth departments of Borussia Mönchengladbach and MSV Duisburg. His involvement with Werder Bremen marks his first position as head coach in the Bundesliga.

Steffen has clear ideas about his playing philosophy and relies on a lot of ball possession and counter-pressing. This could be a good fit for Werder Bremen, a club historically known for continuity in the dugout and characterized by the likes of Otto Rehhagel and Thomas Schaaf over many years. Those responsible for the association have already shown appreciation for Steffen's work and communicated future plans. Steffen himself sees the request from Werder Bremen as recognition for his achievements.

The goal in focus

The new coach is looking forward to the challenge and is convinced that Bremen has a strong team with a lot of potential. His goal is to continue the team's development in the Bundesliga and to further build on the good ideas from last season. Football director Clemens Fritz had already emphasized that the short-term goal was a new coach, which has now been achieved with Steffen's commitment.

With Horst Steffen, Werder Bremen would like to usher in a new era and set the course for a successful future. How the team will develop under his leadership remains to be seen.

For further information about Horst Steffen's commitment, please read NDR or Werder Bremen.