Ole Werner has thanked the RB Leipzig team the day after being dismissed as coach of the Bundesliga club after just one year.
"Your professionalism and passion have seen us through even the most difficult times. You are a team in the truest sense of the word! I’ve enjoyed every moment with you – it’s been an honour!" Werner said in a message on LinkedIn.
Werrner said "we managed to together to fulfil this assignment" of leading Leipzig back into Europe and to change the way the team presents itself.
“Much of what we’ve achieved now feels like a matter of course. A year ago, there were many who wouldn’t have believed we were capable of it. The club is back on track!” he said.
Werner arrived last year from Werder Bremen on a two-year contract and led a reshaped team back into Europe after a seventh-place Bundesliga finish in 2025.
Leipzig missed their Bundesliga points record by just two points but there was dissatisfaction with too few points in top matches, not enough dominance and running on the pitch as well defensive problems.
But supervisory board chairman Oliver Mintzlaff and Red Bull's global football department led by Jürgen Klopp were reportedly not happy with the way Werner let the team play and that there was also a little luck involved in returning to the Champions League.
As a result, Werner had to go on Wednesday. Managing director for sport Marcel Schäfer said that Werner and his also axed assistants "played a major role in our successful rebuild and in qualifying for the Champions League" but "nevertheless, we believe the challenges ahead require new ideas and a different approach."
Former Argentina and Bayern Munich defender Martin Demichelis is reportedly the frontrunner to take over. He was last charge of Spanish club Mallorca.
