Struggling Werder Bremen suspend contract talks

Struggling Bundesliga side Werder Bremen this week took extreme measures in a bid to stop the rot both at home and in Europe by suspending all player contract negotiations until further notice.

In the Champions League, Bremen are bottom of Group A after two defeats and two draws and were beaten 2-0 at home by Dutch champions Twente last week.

They are 11th in the Bundesliga, have been dumped out of the German Cup by Bayern Munich in the second round and after last Sunday’s 6-0 league defeat at Stuttgart, Werder Bremen’s bosses have had enough.

“In our present situation, this is not the time to talk about contracts. We will do so again only when we are better and more successful,” Bremen’s director of sport Klaus Allofs told German daily Bild this week.

Those affected are captain Torsten Frings, striker Hugo Almeida and defender Sebastian Boenisch whose contracts expire at the end of the season.

Germany pair Per Mertesacker and Tim Wiese are out of contract in 2012 and will be looking to sign contract extensions at the end of the season.

Both Mertesacker and Almeida were both mentioned with moves away from Germany.

Portugal star Almeida has been linked to Spanish side Valencia while sides from England’s Premier League are reported to be interested in Mertesacker.