“He has been influential in every game.”
Head coach Angie Postecoglou (59) has praised German forward Timo Werner (28, Tottenham), who is playing on loan at the club.
Werner joined Spurs in the winter transfer window last season. He was brought in from Leipzig to fill the void left by Son Heung-min’s (32) absence at the Asian Cup. With Ivan Perisic and Manor Solomon out injured, it was a much-needed addition.
However, the prospects for Werner were more concerning than promising.
He had already experienced one failure in the Premier League. He played for Chelsea for two seasons, from 2020 to 2022, but only managed 10 goals and 13 assists in 56 league games. In the end, Werner had to return to his hometown of Leipzig.
Werner came up through the youth ranks at Stuttgart and was recognized as one of the top strikers in the Bundesliga during his time at Leipzig. Werner scored 95 goals in 159 games for Leipzig, so the disappointment was even greater. The €53 million transfer fee was not worth it.
Werner himself was unhappy with the Premier League, which is why he immediately accepted Tottenham’s loan offer. 스포츠토토 Werner was desperate for a chance to redeem himself and prove that he hadn’t been able to do it in the Premier League.
Werner, who can play as a winger or a striker, uses his pace and dribbling ability to get into the backline and set up counterattacks. He’s active and willing to defend, but he’s not always the best at finishing, which is the biggest job of a frontline striker.
At Tottenham, his decisiveness is still there.
However, he focuses on creating chances by linking up with his teammates rather than creating them himself. He’s doing more than his two goals and two assists in nine league games this season.
This is reflected in Werner’s recent interview. “I want to score goals too, but (scoring) is not the main part of my game anymore,” he said, “I’m older now. I realize how important assists and movement from low positions are for the team.”
Werner’s performance against Luton Town on Aug. 31, when Son scored the come-from-behind winner, was another highlight. Werner cut into the space on the left after Son had dropped back and stolen the ball, and then played the ball to Brennan Johnson in front of goal.
Johnson saw the onrushing Son Heung-min and cut the ball back to him, who rattled the Luton net with an unstoppable right-footed strike. It was a moment that rattled the opposition defense, as Werner didn’t score an attacking point but looked threatening enough.
Postecoglou also praised Werner.
“It’s fair to say he’s been influential in every game,” he said in a press conference, according to The Standard.
“Werner would probably like to score a few more goals. But at the same time, he’s an important part of our structure and I think he did really well in this game,” he said, adding, “I think he’s made more progress in the last few games, understanding our game more.”
Postecoglou’s praise for Werner means that Werner’s chances of staying at Tottenham have increased. Spurs included an outright transfer option when they signed Werner. Spurs would pay Leipzig £15 million and Werner would become a Spurs player outright.