Earthquakes sign German striker Werner through 2028
The Earthquakes’ rumored signing of German forward Timo Werner became reality Thursday morning as they announced they had acquired him from Red Bull Leipzig, billing the move as the biggest in club history.
Werner will occupy one of San Jose’s Designated Player spots and is signed through June 2028 after the Quakes sent New York Red Bulls $50,000 in General Allocation Money.
Werner, 29, has played the majority of his career in Germany’s Bundesliga, scoring 102 goals and notching 46 assists over 260 matches there for Leipzig and VfB Stuttgart, where he got his career start.
A move to the U.S. represents a chance for more playing time for a forward who was once considered one of Germany’s top young players.
“It’s always a big decision to go to America, but everything is there to be successful,” Werner said in a team release. “The stadium and the facilities are beautiful. Also, it really impressed me that an experienced manager like Bruce, who has had so much success in the league, flew over here to Germany to talk to me about the plan.”
Werner was the youngest Bundesliga player to reach 50 appearances, and the league’s youngest to score two goals in a single game, doing so both by age 19.
“To have a player of Timo’s caliber coming in is simply outstanding for the club and the community,” Quakes coach Bruce Arena said in a team release. “I believe he’ll offer us quality on the field, experience and leadership.”
Werner’s leap to the English Premier League provided some of the significant road bumps of his career. He left Leipzig for Chelsea in 2020 on a €53 million fee and played two seasons there, scoring 10 goals in league competition and 23 overall in 89 appearances. While his production didn’t reach the all-world level some had hoped, he was part of Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League-winning side in his first year there.
He returned to Leipzig two years later, but did not regain his every-match form and eventually went out on loan to Tottenham on loan in January 2024. He won a Europa League trophy in his second season, but again was mostly in a bench role.
On the international stage, Werner has played in 57 matches for Germany, notching 24 goals. He was part of the 2018 World Cup squad, but an injury forced him to miss the 2022 competition in Qatar. Werner’s last appearance for the German national team was in 2023, and he is not part of this year’s World Cup squad.
Werner will join Chicho Arango at the forefront of the Quakes’ attack after Arango re-signed with San Jose earlier this month on a deal through 2027. The Quakes lost captain Cristian Espinoza and last year’s free agency acquisition Josef Martinez in free agency.