It had been brewing for the past few days, and now it is official: attacking talent Keke Topp is moving from FC Schalke 04 to SV Werder Bremen.
Back on the Weser: Keke Topp will play for Werder Bremen again. imago images
In the case of Keke Topp, moving on to new shores also means moving on to old shores. After successful negotiations, it has been decided: the 20-year-old attacking talent is returning from Schalke 04 to Werder Bremen – Topp had already played in the Green-Whites’ youth department for eight years between 2013 and 2021.
“Keke has developed very well in recent years,” says Clemens Fritz, head of professional football at Werder Bremen. “He has proven his qualities at Schalke 04 and we are absolutely convinced that he still has a lot of potential that we would like to develop further together with him.”
In the summer of 2021, Topp moved to Gelsenkirchen, where he made his breakthrough in the last round after a second division appearance in the 2021/22 season and one in the 2022/23 Bundesliga season. In addition to five regional league appearances (one goal), the 1.92 meter tall attacker also played 25 times in the German lower house (eleven times in the starting eleven). With five goals and two assists, the German U-20 international (three international matches, two goals) indicated the potential he has.
Werder coach Ole Werner also recognizes this: “Keke is a powerful, physically robust striker who always gives his all in his game. He is tactically well trained and has a good finish. He will enrich our game with his qualities.”
Topp himself is convinced that “something is developing in a positive direction at Werder,” said the talented striker on the Werder website. “I want to do my part to contribute to this positive development.”
Question mark over Ducksch’s future
In Bremen, Topp is expected to fill the gap left by European Championship player Niclas Füllkrug when he moved to Dortmund last summer. Nick Woltemade, whose free transfer to VfB Stuttgart meant that there was a nominal need for action, was only able to fill the role to a limited extent (30 Bundesliga appearances, two goals, kicker average rating of 3.7).
Whether there will be further reinforcements for the attacking department alongside Topp, who had a contract at Schalke until summer 2025, depends above all on top scorer Marvin Ducksch (twelve goals, eleven assists last season). There have been repeated offers for the 30-year-old in the past, and the player and club have at least been open to discussions.
2024-06-19 08:12:17
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