Ole Werner was just 33 when he took charge of Werder Bremen in 2021. - © IMAGO/RHR-FOTO

bundesliga

Ole Werner: Who is the new RB Leipzig head coach?

23.06.2025

After ending his playing days early and working as a gardener in Australia, Ole Werner stepped into coaching back in his native Germany. Get the lowdown on the 37-year-old following his appointment as RB Leipzig head coach...

Data correct as of 24 June 2025

Ole Werner
Age: 37 (born 5 May 1988)
Club: RB Leipzig
Role: Head coach
Country: Germany

Werner's appointment at the Red Bull Arena comes following his departure from Werner Bremen by mutual consent at the end of 2024/25. That was his third full season in the Bundesliga after stepping into the role in November 2021 and steering the Green-Whites up from the second tier at the first time of asking. He was the third longest-serving active Bundesliga coach prior to his exit, as well as the youngest.

Pre-Bremen, Werner played for and coached Kiel, via a playing stint at TSV Kropp. He worked with the youths and reserves, before taking charge of first-team affairs in October 2019, following a successful interim spell. After finishing 2019/20 in 11th place, Werner's Kiel missed out on promotion to the Bundesliga following a 2021 play-off loss to Cologne. He resigned early the following season, before leading Bremen's revival.

Werner earned his coaching stripes back at Holstein Kiel. - Karina Hessland/Getty Images

After masterminding Werder's immediate return to the top tier as 2022/23 Bundesliga 2 runners-up, Werner oversaw 13th-, ninth- and eighth-placed finishes in the Bundesliga. All told, he averaged 1.44 points per game across 128 competitive matches at the helm.

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On the surface there is nothing revolutionary or flashy about Werner's coaching style, but his clear record in taking teams up the football pyramid bears parallels with the legendary former Freiburg coach. Another element Werner has in common is limiting expectations to foster a sense of togetherness, while continuing to deliver. Werner said, for instance, with Bremen in contention for European qualifiation at the end of 2023/24 season, "I'm not a guy who dreams, but I do have every faith in my team."

Werner took Werder Bremen up at the first attempt in 2022/23. - IMAGO/Ulrich Hufnagel/IMAGO/Ulrich Hufnagel

Did you know?

After his relatively brief playing career, Werner turned his hand to gardening, spending seven months in the profession in Sydney, in order to finance travels in Australia and Indonesia. He told Bild: "I wasn't that keen on gardening before, but I had to find a job at short notice. I was cutting grass and hedges, digging things out. I was out in the sun a lot and they were great gardens."

What they're saying

"Ole is a young, exciting and really good coach who suits Werder well with his idea of football. He wants to join us on our path and build a young team with room to grow and develop. He was successful as a coach in Kiel, he knows the league well and as somebody from northern Germany he will find his feet quickly in Bremen." - Frank Baumann, Werder Bremen sporting director on Werner's appointment in November 2021

"Ole is a young, up-and-coming, and extremely ambitious head coach who will take the next step in his development with us. We have been following his path closely for some time and are delighted that he has chosen RB Leipzig. Ole represents a clear playing philosophy that he successfully implemented during his stints in Kiel and Bremen: structured possession-based football, quick transitions after winning the ball, excellent pressing, tactical flexibility, and a courageous, committed, and combative demeanor. - Leipzig managing director Marcel Schäfer upon Werner's appointment

"I'm delighted to be the head coach of RB Leipzig from now on. During the very detailed discussions, it was immediately apparent that both sides share the same ideas about the style of play and the way we work. This made it easy for me to decide on this joint path." - Werner following his switch to Leipzig