Timo Werner’s loan move from RB Leipzig to Tottenham Hotspur took virtually everyone by surprise… except maybe Timo Werner. The German forward is primarily known in the UK as a notable Chelsea flop, but since coming to Tottenham he’s been something of a quiet revelation — an intelligent, progressive player who is not expected to shoulder the scoring burden, but be more of a facilitator in Spurs’ attack, especially during Son Heung-Min’s long Asian Cup absence.
And to hear Timo put it, the move has been pretty much a perfect fit. Timo gave an interview with Sky Germany’s Philipp Heinze and said he’s already loving his time in North London in comparison to his situation at Leipzig.
“The fun has completely returned. I’ve changed a lot as a person; I’ve become much happier. After five games, you can say the transfer has paid off. But the season is still long. I want to build on the initial performances. It has already been worthwhile for the five games, just playing our football in our stadium.
“Sometimes things don’t click between individuals or even between tactics and players anymore. I can’t complain about a few people in Leipzig; the situation just wasn’t working for me. It no longer brought me the joy I had felt for a long time. In Leipzig, it just didn’t fit in the end. That’s why it was the right step for all parties involved that I go to Tottenham. The fact that things are working out so well here, and I immediately feel at home, wasn’t something one would have thought at the beginning.”
In interviews with the media, Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou seemed to express the view that Timo’s loan had as much to do with restarting Timo’s career as it did helping out Spurs. Werner admitted that he wants to get back into the picture for the Germany national team ahead of the European Championships this summer, but the decision to come to Spurs had as much to do with escaping what he saw as a negative situation in Germany and the desire to play progressive football under Postecoglou.
“The Euros played a role. However, it wasn’t my main argument. The club and the coach’s interest were too significant. I moved here because I needed exactly this. I wanted to rediscover the joy of football and play that specific style of football. In the end, this might lead to me being part of the European Championship.
“In the end, it happened very quickly. Tottenham had already inquired two to three weeks [before the loan]. I didn’t respond because I thought I could achieve something in Leipzig over the winter. As the interest grew and Tottenham contacted my agents more frequently, it became so interesting that I couldn’t say ‘no’ in the end.”
It’s not very often that a former Chelsea player ends up at Tottenham Hotspur. The last Spurs players who also had a Chelsea background were William Gallas and Scott Parker, so the move puts Timo in rare company. Werner said he was aware that he was still more or less warmly regarded by Chelsea fans and thought about the implications, but said the opportunity was too good to pass up.
“Of course, it’s a bit strange. In Germany, not everyone would cheer if you moved from Dortmund to Schalke. But especially in London, there are so many clubs that the likelihood of playing for a rival upon return is not low. Now I’m playing for Chelsea’s biggest rival. In the beginning, I thought about it – also because I was quite well-regarded by the fans. Nevertheless, the return to the best league in the world was important for me. Back to a style of football that I enjoyed a lot back then. At that moment, I couldn’t take that into consideration.
“I lived in London during my time at Chelsea, and sometimes you wonder why I even left. London is one of the best cities worldwide for me. The total package brings me a lot of joy and fun.”
The Premier League is different from the Bundesliga, and Timo’s past experience playing in England was part of what made him attractive to Spurs as a loan option. Werner said that while there are atmospheric differences between German and English football, the biggest is that the league is just so much faster and more physical.
“The Premier League has now gained such hype that other leagues there can’t catch up. They understood early on how to market themselves very well. In addition, it’s the style of football played here. Fouls that would be called in Germany are laughed off here. They just keep playing. After 60 minutes against Brighton, my legs hurt. It’s a very open game, frequently going back and forth. In Germany, there are loud, recurring chants that are very effective for the noise level and atmosphere. Here, you can feel how the stadium gets behind you as soon as you’re on the attack. These are completely different fan philosophies. Here, tackles are sometimes celebrated more than goals. It’s very impressive.”
Son Heung-Min has returned from international duty and is expected to slot back into the starting lineup beginning with tomorrow’s match against Wolves. That likely means that Timo’s role will change a bit from his initial few matches, and it’ll be interesting to see what that means. With Richarlison as one of the in-form strikers in the league and Son more or less undroppable, it could be that Timo returns to the bench, at least initially — but the ability to bring on a player such as Werner as an impact substitute is a luxury now afforded to Postecoglou after several months of lean pickings.
It’s not clear whether Spurs will activate Werner’s £17m purchase option at the end of this season to sign him permanently, but there have been murmurs that Tottenham are already strongly considering doing just that. And based on his early experiences, it also sounds like Timo would give strong consideration to sticking around.