Bundesliga
After ending his playing days early and working as a gardener in Australia, Ole Werner stepped into coaching back in his native Germany. bundesliga.com profiles the former Holstein Kiel and Werder Bremen strategist...
Data correct as of 10 June 2025
Ole Werner
Age: 37 (born 5 May 1988)
Club: Without a club
Role: Head coach
Country: Germany
Werner left Bremen by mutual consent at the end of 2024/25 - 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 before his departure, 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.
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.
Coaches a bit like: Christian Streich
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."
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