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19th October 2024
12:31pm BST
An ex-Liverpool midfielder has been told to leave by his current club after he refused to board the team bus ahead of a key game when he found out that he wasn't named in the starting lineup.
Naby Keita spent six years at Liverpool after Jurgen Klopp secured his signature in the summer of 2017. During his time at the club, the Guinea native won the UEFA Champions League, the Premier League and an FA Cup.
Last year, Keita signed for German side Werder Bremen on a free transfer. Even though his contract runs until the summer of 2026, it appears that the player has no future at the club following a recent incident.
According to Kicker, the 29-year-old was livid after finding out that he wasn't starting away to eventual Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen back in April.
Keita reportedly refused to board the team bus for the game which led to him being banned from the first-team, while he also received a club suspension.
Now, Bremen head coach Ole Werner has demanded that Keita leave the club because of his conduct.
Werner told the German publication: "I do believe that we have been very, very humane and very, very transparent with him at all times since he joined us.
"Keita is not our issue right now, and I believe that it's best for both sides to simply look ahead and into the future, to see what good solutions Naby can find for himself and what solutions we can find without him."
Although Keita said that he had apologised for the incident, Werner stated that he wasn't aware of that.
"It could be that it somehow happened in the meantime, it just wouldn't have reached me," Werner said.
Keita recently stated that he isn't a player who lacks discipline.
Speaking to The Guardian, he said: "In my last year at Liverpool, I didn't play much and when I arrived here, I was motivated. We'll have to talk about the bus incident one day, but everyone who knows me knows that I'm a professional and that I'm not undisciplined.
"Despite everything, I apologised to the group even before the end of last season because we're all human and nobody's perfect," he added. "Wherever I've been, from Salzburg to Leipzig to Liverpool, I've always tried to be exemplary.
"A lot of people say to me: 'Naby, you're injured, why don't you want to play for Bremen?' I say: 'No, I'm fine.' Since I came back from the Africa Cup of Nations [in February], all I've wanted to do is play for the fans and the club. But it's not up to me.
"The club decided to put me with the under-23s. I'm training with them and helping the youngsters while I wait for the wheels to turn. The fans have shown me a lot of love and they deserve to see me return that love on the pitch."
Keita has made just five appearances for Bremen since joining the club last year. He has not been included in a matchday squad since the bus incident in April, with his last appearance coming the previous month.
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