The New York Red Bulls could use another forward to bolster their depth up front, and nabbing Timo Werner would be as high-profile a move as possible to do so.
The German striker, currently on loan at Premier League side Tottenham from Red Bull Leipzig of the Bundesliga, had talks about potentially joining the Red Bulls of Major League Soccer, a source confirmed with amNewYork last week.
While exploratory conversations have since grown dormant over the last week, the situation is still deemed as fluid, per a source, and could pick up at any time.
Timo Werner to Red Bulls? Nothing doing after exploratory talks, at least for now: Source
But in this instance, it is important to zoom out and look at the full picture rather to fully assess the situation — one that may be difficult to do for fans of a franchise that have been begging for a true No. 9 for more than a half-decade.
There is no denying that Werner is struggling, even a shell of his former self. The 28-year-old was a superstar during his first stint at RB Leipzig, which broke him into the German national team, after scoring 34 goals in all competitions during the 2019-20 season. But a move to Premier League giants Chelsea ultimately did not work out, even with a Champions League title to show for it.
He lasted just two seasons in West London before being sold back to Leipzig. After a 16-goal season in 2022-23, he was loaned him to Tottenham midway through the 2023-24 campaign. In 40 matches with Spurs, he has just three goals with six assists in all competitions.
The loan has been an obvious failure, but Tottenham can ill-afford to part with a player who is nearing his return from a thigh injury. The London club, which sits in an uncharacteristic 14th-place in the Premier League, has been decimated by injuries, with four of its eight forwards (Werner, Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson, and Wilson Odobert) on the shelf.
With the transfer deadline for English clubs coming on Monday, Tottenham failed to bring in any reinforcements up top, either. Instead, their main priority was bolstering their defense.
Inactivity will force them to roll with the current crop of attackers they have available, and Werner — struggles and all — could be called upon down the stretch this season as one final opportunity to prove himself with six months left on his loan.
In theory, Werner could use a move to Major League Soccer to re-spark his career. He would quickly be considered one of the best strikers in the league and a dominant year or two in the United States could do wonder for him.
If he were to make such a move, though, it feels as though it would come when his loan is up at Tottenham over the summer.
There would be understandable hesitation, though. Moving to MLS would likely destroy any hopes of him getting back into the German national team any time soon. Werner was once a regular for his country, making 57 appearances (42) starts over a seven-year stretch. But he has not featured for Germany since 2023 and a down year has not helped improve his prospects.
Some solace could be taken from the 2024 season Lewis Morgan had. The Scottish international managed to catch the attention of Steve Clarke, who called him up for Euro 2024. Of course, it is important to note that the talent pool in Germany is far deeper than in Scotland.
Only one German had ever made his national team while playing with the Red Bulls, and that was the legendary Lothar Matthaus for Euro 2000.
If Werner is not willing to give up on that dream of continuing to represent Germany, a move to New York becomes all the more unlikely — especially with the World Cup on US soil just one year away. That is a big “if,” though, considering Werner is not touching the German national team as it is at the moment, regardless of which continent he is playing on.
There is no denying that he would take the Red Bulls’ attack to the next level. They already signed the 35-year-old Cameroonian international Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who is just two years removed from scoring 17 goals in 30 matches in all competitions for Bayern Munich, one of the largest and most recognizable clubs in the world.
New York’s other attacking options are not nearly as proven, even with the natural winger Morgan potentially playing out of position, which he did last season. The newly-signed Polish striker Wiktor Bogacz is just 20 years old, Serge Ngoma is 19, and 22-year-old Roald Mitchell is finishing up his recovery from knee surgery.
Head coach Sandro Schwarz could play Choupo-Moting alone up top, but questions about workload come into play considering he has not played a competitive match since last spring. An abundance of relief — and firepower — would come in the form of Werner.
