It's been a rough couple of seasons for Timo Werner since his move to Chelsea from Leipzig, where he became the club's all-time leading goalscorer. There were lofty expectations placed on the German when he moved for just over $50 million in 2020, and to say the least, those expectations have been far from met. Despite averaging 0.69 goals per 90 minutes at Leipzig, that tally has been halved in West London, resulting in a goals per 90 stat reading 0.35. In 2021-22, this meant 11 goals and six assists across 37 appearances in all competitions.
Clearly, this was a transfer that just did not work out for either of the parties involved, and it doesn't seem that either Chelsea or Timo Werner harbor any hard feelings about it. There is a couple of options for the 26-year-old that have been rumored.
Here are the three best options for Timo Werner moving forward.
1. Borussia Dortmund
The club that had the most serious reported interest at any time leading up to this window was Borussia Dortmund, but things may have changed. Plenty of rumors linking Werner and Dortmund flew around immediately after the end of the January window, though there's a big reason that none have been reported recently. When the sanctions against Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, and by extension his club came down, Dortmund turned their eyes elsewhere.
There they found Salzburg's Karim Adeyemi, and signed him, filling their need for a striker after the departure of Erling Haaland. It's still possible Dortmund could be interested in Timo Werner but as things stand now, it seems incredibly unlikely to suggest he plays there in 2022/23.
2. Bayern Munich
This is an option that may not make much sense at the moment, but with the potential departure of Robert Lewandowski, may generate more interest in future weeks. Bayern was also in on Werner in 2020 when he made his move to Chelsea but wasn't interested enough to make a serious offer to Leipzig to sign the then 24-year-old. Instead, Bayern signed Leroy Sane and promoted the likes of Jamal Musiala and Malik Tillman through the academy.
Timo Wener would be an interesting fit alongside the likes of Serge Gnabry, Sane, Musiala, Tillman, Thomas Müller and others. Werner would also likely benefit once more from a Bundesliga style that allows him the space he lacks currently in the Premier League. At Leipzig, Werner was able to expertly exploit the space between the defensive and midfield lines that's much more prevalent in the Bundesliga and at the international level, where Werner's goalscoring hasn't slowed nearly as much as it has at the club level.
It's also worth noting that his former Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann is the current manager at Bayern, and that connection may be effective again if renewed by the club that's won the last 10 German titles. Bayern is also never short on cash, so that part of the equation is no issue, not that Timo Werner wouldn't be available at a price likely cheaper than Chelsea bought him for anyway.
3. Chelsea (for one more season)
I know this is a boring option, but it's not totally unrealistic. As mentioned, the rumor mill for any move away from Stamford Bridge has seriously dried up in recent weeks, though as mentioned it may kick up with Monday's news that Robert Lewandowski publicly expressed a desire to leave Bayern.
Neither of the options discussed to this point seem to have any fire to the smoke at this time. The most likely avenue for Werner, at least as far as the 2022/23 season is concerned, is to stay at Chelsea, hope things turn around, and maybe look for a move next summer. Once the sanctions against Chelsea came down, clubs just couldn't take the risk of not being able to complete the transfer, and shifted their attention to other targets, such as Adeyemi with Dortmund.
Of course, minutes may be hard to come by with the expected addition of Ousmane Dembele looking closer and closer every day, not to mention the other forwards already at Chelsea who may not leave, such as Christian Pulisic.
A full pre-season for the first time as a Chelsea player, however, may help Timo Werner get his minutes in preparation for the World Cup in November, where he figures to be a part of the German squad under Hansi Flick. If he's able to solidify his place with Thomas Tuchel, I'm sure both parties would be ecstatic, and if not, both parties would likely still be willing to make an amicable parting of ways in the summer of 2023.
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