Werder Bremen have suspended Naby Keita for the rest of the season and imposed a “substantial” fine after accusing him of walking out of Sunday’s Bundesliga clash with Bayer Leverkusen.

The 29-year-old former Liverpool midfielder did not feature in a 5-0 defeat at the Bay Arena, with his club claiming he had chosen “not to travel to the ground with the team and decided to go home instead” after discovering he was not in the starting line-up.

A statement on the club’s official website said: “Werder Bremen have suspended Naby Keita until the end of the season. The club have also handed the midfielder a substantial fine.”

Guinea international Keita, the statement added, “will no longer train with the team or be part of the first-team dressing room.”

Bremen’s head of professional football Clemens Fritz said: “As a club, we won’t tolerate Naby’s behaviour.

“He let his team down in a time of difficulty surrounding our recent run of form and squad availability and put his own interests above those of the team. We can’t allow that.

“At this stage of the season, we need full focus on the remaining games and a team who stick together. That’s why we’ve been left with no alternative.”

Leverkusen’s win clinched them the title and left Bremen sitting in 12th place, just five points clear of the bottom three with as many games remaining.

Keita, who had a spell in Germany with RB Leipzig earlier in his career, joined the club as a free agent on a three-year deal last summer following the expiry of his contract at Anfield.
Home
/
Real Madrid
Xabi Alonso: Bayer Leverkusen CEO confirms future Real Madrid move
Bayer Leverkusen CEO reveals Alonso will manage Real Madrid in future
Door also opened to fellow former clubs Liverpool and Bayern Munich
Alonso to stay at Leverkusen for another season after winning Bundesliga title

By Sean Walsh
Apr 16, 2024
Alonso has worked wonders at Leverkusen
Alonso has worked wonders at Leverkusen / Maja Hitij/GettyImages
Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has revealed he has "no doubt" Xabi Alonso will manage Real Madrid one day.

Alonso joined Leverkusen in October 2022 with the club mired in the Bundesliga relegation zone, but a spirited debut season saw them earn a sixth-place finish and qualification to the Europa League.

Now into the Spaniard's first full season, Leverkusen have already wrapped up the Bundesliga title - the first in the club's history - and remain the last unbeaten side in Europe, still going strong in the Europa League and DFB Pokal.

Alonso's heroics saw him linked to the jobs at former clubs Liverpool and Bayern Munich, but he has opted to stay at Leverkusen for at least another year.

In an interview with Cadena SER, Leverkusen chief Carro insisted while Alonso could yet manage these sides in the future, he is destined to coach Real Madrid.

"I have no doubts. One day, Xabi Alonso will be Real Madrid manager. No doubts at all, zero doubts!" Carro said.

"What I am not clear about is when, but that he will end up at Real Madrid I have no doubt, as it is also possible that he trains Liverpool or Bayern."

FBL-EUR-C1-BAYERN-MUNICH-TRAINING
Alonso played under Ancelotti at Madrid and Bayern / JAVIER SORIANO/GettyImages
The current manager of Madrid is Alonso's former boss Carlo Ancelotti, who signed a new contract running until the summer of 2026 earlier this season.

Los Blancos have been busy building a squad to challenge for major honours for years to come, forming a young core featuring the likes of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga. They are also expected to sign Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, while Bayern left-back Alphonso Davies is also a key target.

Meanwhile, Liverpool and Bayern are continuing their respective searches for new managers after learning of Alonso's decision to stay at Leverkusen.

Sporting CP's Ruben Amorim is a top contender for the job at Anfield, while the German media have recently played up a sensational return for Julian Nagelsmann to the Allianz Arena.

READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
•
Zinedine Zidane's potential destinations - ranked
•
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs Man City - Champions League
•
4 key battles that will decide Champions League quarter-final second legs
•
Football transfer rumours: Man Utd's £100m Casemiro replacement; Liverpool battle Real Madrid for Kubo
Related Topics
Real Madrid CF
Liverpool FC
Bayern Munich
Bundesliga
Europa League
Carlo Ancelotti

Chance to do treble again an ‘inspiration and motivation’ – Bernardo Silva

Bernardo Silva is motivated by the prospect of making history as Manchester City chase an unprecedented second successive treble.

City have put themselves in a strong position to retain the three trophies they won in glorious fashion last year after taking control of the Premier League title race at the weekend.

Pep Guardiola’s side are now two points clear of rivals Arsenal and Liverpool with six games remaining.

Their attention now switches to the Champions League and the second leg of a quarter-final tie against Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday that will begin with the aggregate score at 3-3. They then head to Wembley on Saturday for an FA Cup semi-final date with Chelsea.

Midfielder Silva said of City’s triple target: “Of course it’s obviously (an) inspiration and motivation.

“We want to create that legacy and win another Premier League, to do six in seven years and four in a row, and we want to win the Champions League, to do two in a row, that only Madrid did (with) three in a row. No-one else has won consecutive Champions Leagues, if I am not mistaken.

“If we can win two trebles in a row, that no-one did, that would be legacy. That is definitely motivation.

“It’s very difficult as in one week we could be out of all the competitions, but we are fighting for it and going to do everything in our power to be, each day, a step closer that goal.”

Manager Pep Guardiola, who was speaking alongside Silva at a press conference, was more circumspect in detailing his ambitions but made clear his team will be giving everything to achieve the maximum.

He said: “I am not going to say don’t feel this to my players when they feel this, but I have a different opinion. We are far away from those hypothetical dreams.

“When we are in the final of the FA Cup, and (have) two or three games (to go in the Premier League) with an advantage, and in the final of the Champions League, I will start to think about that. But not before a game against Real Madrid.

“We have a lot of difficult games. It is one game at a time and it is Real Madrid tomorrow. I started to think of the treble last season when we beat (Manchester) United in the FA Cup final.

“The success for me this season is that we are still there, in this position four or five weeks away, still in contention. It’s incredible.

“Now, extend the chance one more week, then one more week. This is what we try to do tomorrow and Saturday and the next games.”

Guardiola, as a former Barcelona captain and manager, has had a fierce rivalry with Real Madrid throughout his career.

This is the third successive year his City side have played Real in the Champions League knockout stages, with the Spanish side going through in 2022 but the Premier League outfit prevailing a year ago.

And after last week’s pulsating draw in the Bernabeu Stadium, Guardiola is relishing another contest against Carlo Ancelotti’s team.

Guardiola said: “Real Madrid in this competition is always a big game. It’s been special for me as a player and manager, but that doesn’t count. What counts is what we have to do to win tomorrow.

“I don’t fear them but I respect them a lot.”

City hope to have Kyle Walker back after five games out with a hamstring injury.