Almost two years after his last goal for Chelsea, Timo Werner is still proving to be an enigma, but at least he has found a role at his new home that suits his strengths and could help Tottenham qualify for a Champions League place.
Chelsea paid £50 million back in 2020 for the German forward, who is neither an out and out winger nor a number nine, but he failed to live up to expectations at Stamford Bridge and the Blues took a £25m hit when they sold him back to RB Leipzig two years later.
Ten goals in 56 games was a poor return for a man tasked with leading the line for Chelsea, and once back in Germany, he failed to find the goalscoring form of old that had made him one of Europe’s most dangerous forwards.
But Ange Postecoglou’s system at Spurs is ideal for fast-raiding widemen who can score the odd goal, and although Werner is as erratic as ever with his finishing, he is playing a key role in Tottenham’s push for a top four finish.
On Saturday against Crystal Palace, he overhit a couple of crosses and missed a golden chance to put Spurs ahead, but after Eberichi Eze scored a spectacular goal for the Eagles, Werner equalised with a crisp finish to spark the now traditional Tottenham comeback.
Cristian Romero’s header put them in front soon afterwards, and Heung Min Son showed Werner how to finish when one-on-one with the goalkeeper to secure three points. The German had earlier missed a similar chance, but otherwise gave Palace’s defence a torrid time and should have had a penalty after being tripped in the box.
Werner has acknowledged that his primary role is not to score goals but more to assist with their fast breaking, attacking play, and admitted he was delighted to score his first goal in England since April 2022.
“I’m very pleased, very happy, because it was an important one – especially after (missing) the first half chance,” he said.
“I haven’t really felt any pressure to score (my first goal) because the guys here have made me feel very comfortable from day one. They have made it easy for me to focus on playing football, and now I’ve got the first goal done, it’s even better for me.”
Postecoglou said Werner’s goal should give him the confidence to score more, while adding that he has signed him on loan primarily as a player to help create goals. “I understand with attacking players, goals make them feel better and more confident, relieves the pressure a bit. Apart from his missed chance, his general play was really good taking on the full-back with aggressive running, and his goal came at a good time for us. I’ve been really happy with him since he arrived.”
Werner agreed: “You can play well, but if you don’t score it’s not the best game you can play, so this was a big step for me to get more confidence and hopefully I can take it into our next games.”
Embed from Getty ImagesIf he proves a success in Postecoglou’s system, operating on the opposite wing to either Dejan Kulusevski or Brennan Johnson, who set up Werner’s goal, the German’s loan deal could be made permanent in the summer for around €15m, less than a third of the fee Chelsea paid four years ago.]
He does not feel under pressure to earn a permanent move back to England over the next two months, however. “We have so many important games coming up in the next few weeks there’s no need to think about that – in the moment I’m just enjoying myself playing football.
“This was an important result because being in the Champions League places at the end of the season is our big aim.”
Spurs are currently fifth, with a game in hand on fourth-placed Aston Villa, whom they play next weekend. The game at Villa Park could prove pivotal in the race for a top four place.
“Next week we have a very big game at Aston Villa and, if we win that, we will have a very good chance of reaching our target,” said Werner.
