The holiday season in Germany comes with beautiful sights and markets across the country, making it a popular winter destination. But Bruce Arena did not head to Germany in December for a vacation. Instead, it was a business trip.
Arena was in Europe trying to lock down a marquee new addition for his San Jose Earthquakes.
San Jose investigated the possibility of signing German forward Timo Werner this winter and, before long, it became clear the chance was real. Talks advanced quickly and Arena, the club’s head coach and sporting director, flew for further discussions in person.
Pleased with the chat, and with both sides being close on finances, the Quakes proceeded and pulled a surprise by finalizing a deal to sign Werner from RB Leipzig, which was announced on Thursday morning.
“Timo understands the project here, I talked to him about how he fits in the team and our expectations of him,” Arena told The Athletic. “He’s all in.”
Werner joins the Quakes still in his prime years at 29 – but in need of a fresh start.
The forward scored 24 goals in 57 appearances with the German national team, all between 2017-23. He bounced between England and Leipzig in recent years, with a move to Chelsea and back to Leipzig, then a loan to Tottenham and back again.
That move to Chelsea in particular slowed down Werner’s career trajectory, though it provided a big financial increase and a Champions League winners medal (2020-21). That was the last season Werner played more than 2,000 minutes in a single league campaign.
Sources briefed on the player say the sentiment at Leipzig was that the transfer wasn’t right for Werner, that he wasn’t a good fit at Chelsea on or off the field. He returned to Leipzig in 2022 but again went to England in January 2024 with Tottenham. That move went worse than Chelsea.
Even at the best periods of his career, Werner has not been the most consistent player in training, sources say. Ange Postecoglou’s harsh handling of Werner didn’t help either, in public or private. The final part of his 18-month loan at Tottenham was the worst period of his career, sources say.
When the loan expired and Werner returned to Leipzig this summer, the team made it clear in no uncertain terms he was not in its plans. Serious talks with Leipzig’s MLS sister club, the New York Red Bulls, did not result in a summer transfer. But even as both sides balked over contract expectations with the view Werner was content to not play and collect his pay, he remained a very popular figure with the Leipzig fanbase.
This all opened the door for San Jose to make a push this winter – and present a necessary clean slate and new objectives.
Bruce Arena is entering his second season as San Jose Earthquakes manager (Robert Edwards / Imagn Images)
“He’s a quality player, has a lot of experience and is highly motivated,” Arena said. “I think he’s going to have a positive impact for our team and how we’re viewed in the community.”
Werner will unexpectedly become the centerpiece in a new-look Quakes attack following the surprise exit of DP forward Chicho Arango to Atlético Nacional and free-agent departure of playmaker Cristian Espinoza to Nashville. Werner can play off the left as an inside forward, a role he perfected over years in Leipzig, or even more centrally. The permutations will come together in preseason and as San Jose continues its winter business, with Arena hoping for “another signing or two.”
“It’s always a big decision to go to America, but everything is there to be successful,” Werner said in a statement. “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. The Earthquakes fans can expect to get a player who gives everything on the pitch, every game. Every club I’ve joined, I’ve wanted to win a trophy. In the end, I’ve always delivered. That’s why I want to come to San Jose — to win.”
He can’t do it alone, though, and after Arango’s departure, San Jose has two DP spots open, an area that could be addressed this winter.
“It’s a possibility, we’re looking at players,” Arena said, prior to Arango’s sale.
Though Werner has sparsely featured for RB Leipzig this season — 13 minutes of first-team action, to be exact — Arena isn’t worried about how long it will take for him to physically be match-ready.
“Well, he’s been training throughout the season,” Arena said. “We’re not starting at step one in terms of his match fitness.”
San Jose opens the season on February 21 at home against Sporting KC. It’s the start of year two under Arena, which has historically included a big jump in success in the legendary coach’s previous stops. In his second full season at both the LA Galaxy (2010) and New England Revolution (2021), he won the Supporters’ Shield.
Beyond Werner and any potential further additions this winter, the squad is in a much different place than last year, with the team’s leading scorer (Josef Martínez, 14 goals), assist man (Espinoza, 12) and top goal contributor (Arango, 20; 13 goals, seven assists) off with new clubs. Arena pointed to defensive midfielder Ronaldo Vieira, signed over the summer, as someone who will be key to the team’s chances this season, as well as continued growth from young players Beau Leroux, Niko Tsakiris and Noel Buck.
Arena understandably pushed back at setting Shield expectations for his second year with the Quakes, but he is confident in the group and club as a whole being in a better place than when he took over.
“This signing says we’re more ambitious (than we previously were),” Arena said about Werner. “My general feeling in year one at this club, as I observed the everyday environment, we were not positioned to win. We didn’t have that mentality. We’re starting to get out of that, and the signing of Timo makes that statement.”
It’s been a long struggle for more than a dozen years in San Jose.
The Quakes opened their stadium, PayPal Park, in 2015. That stadium has still not hosted a home playoff game, with the club only making the postseason three times since 2012.
Arena compared the situation to American college football, looking at the Indiana Hoosiers and head coach Curt Cignetti. In his first year, in 2024, Cignetti guided Indiana to the College Football Playoff for the first time. In his second season, Indiana went 16-0 and won the school’s first football national championship.
“I’ve been listening to the Indiana football coach and I thought there were things very similar,” Arena said. “He turned things around. I haven’t been as successful as him at it (here), but there has to be an awareness and a commitment from ownership and everyone in the club. We’re slowly getting there.”
For the Quakes to have any shot of getting where they want to go, they’ll need goals from Werner. And they believe that is certainly coming.
“I believe he’s a marquee player,” Arena said. “That’ll create enthusiasm within the club, hopefully within the community and within the stands. Hopefully we’re more successful.”
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor contributed reporting to this story