LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) — Former Leipzig coach Ole Werner is unhappy he wasn’t given the chance to say goodbye to staff after his surprise dismissal from the club.
Leipzig fired Werner and his assistant coaches Tom Cichon and Patrick Kohlmann on Wednesday after what many would consider a successful debut season – third place in the Bundesliga for Champions League.
“Ole did a great job, he led us to the Champions League, but we also have to look forward,” said Red Bull head of soccer Jürgen Klopp, who made the decision with Leipzig supervisory board chairman Oliver Mintzlaff.
Werner responded with a letter to the players, staff and fans of Leipzig on LinkedIn, saying “unfortunately the timing of this decision makes it impossible for me to say goodbye to all of you in person.”
The 38-year-old coach looked back on what he called a “very positive” time in which he’d been asked to “give the team a new look in terms of its demeanor and style of play, while establishing a new, sustainable hierarchy within the dressing room.” He said he made many changes and thinks “together we succeeded in fulfilling this mandate.”
With 20 wins and five draws from 34 rounds of the Bundesliga, Werner gained more points than any other coach at Leipzig.
Werner thanked Leipzig’s sporting director Marcel Schäfer in his letter, but made no mention of Klopp or Mintzlaff.
Leipzig has been linked with a move for Mallorca coach Martin Demichelis as Werner’s successor.
Werner was also fired from his previous job at Werder Bremen after he refused to extend his contract with the club.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Learn how to make some of Jettywave Distillery’s most popular drinks as well as some classics. Read moreMixology 101: Cocktail Crafting
These days, life can feel like it has been turned upside-down. What was relied upon as norma… Read moreInspirational Talk - “A Spiritual Revolution: The Quest to Experience God”
Dirk van Ulden said:
LaurieHietter said:
CA Is Burning said:
CA Is Burning said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.