Former Liverpool star pleads for second chance after going on strike as WhatsApp message revealed

Naby Keita has pleaded for another chance at Werder Bremen after revealing the WhatsApp message he sent team-mates after going on strike. The former Liverpool midfielder joined the Bundesliga outfit on a Bosman transfer in the summer of 2023.

However, Keita has since found himself frozen out at Bremen after refusing to board their team bus, having found out he was not starting, ahead of their clash with Bayer Leverkusen back in April.

The Guinean only made five appearances last season in an injury-plagued campaign, and had been expected to leave the club in the summer after holding showdown talks with bosses back in August following his return from Olympic Games duty.

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In an official club statement, Werder Bremen confirmed that the former Liverpool star would not rejoin the squad and instead continue to train alone, after both player and club decided he would seek a move elsewhere.

Keita was linked with moves to Sunderland and Turkey in the summer, only for such switches to not materialise. And the 29-year-old has now admitted he wants to be part of the Bremen first-team squad again.

“It is not my decision that I should leave Bremen,” he told BILD. “For me, the best thing would be to be part of the professional team again tomorrow and play for Werder Bremen.

“The fans also keep asking on social media what happened and why I don't play for their club.

“Of course there are also negative messages saying that I would collect the money and don't want to play. But it's not about the money for me, it's the club that made this decision.”

Meanwhile, Keita also showed BILD the WhatsApp message he sent to team-mates as he apologised to the Bremen squad after refusing to board their team bus back in April.

The Guinean wrote: “What I did may look like I let the team down just before an important match. I would like to apologise to my team-mates who felt let down.

“You should know that this was not my intention. It's hard for me not to be on the pitch with you. I want to give you my full support. I will be your biggest fan.”