“I’ve seen a lot of familiar faces”

Keke Topp may be a new signing at Werder, but not every element of the Gnarrenburg native’s first week of training has been new to him. As Topp explains: “It’s been very exciting. I’ve also seen a lot of familiar faces from the training centre again. It’s really exciting in general when you join a new team, but it’s been a bit easier for me to familiarise myself with everything than if I were completely new.

The attacker came up through the SVW youth ranks at the academy between 2013 and 2021, before joining Schalke 04, where he went on to make his first-team breakthrough. This summer, Topp has returned to the Weser, and it has been an emotional affair for him. “Obviously the Bundesliga is a dream I want to make happen. The emotional connection I have with Werder is naturally pretty strong – it’s my ninth season in total, eight of which were with the youth teams, so this is definitely my favourite club. There’s a lot of Werder fans in my village and my best friends are usually in the Ostkurve,” he says.

As he did at his former employers in Gelsenkirchen, Topp will wear the number 42 shirt in 2024/25. He can look forward to getting a chance to shine in the forthcoming season, with head coach Ole Werner highlighting on Monday how his new signing’s “power and physicality” can bring a new dimension to the Green-Whites’ attacking play.

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Forward Keke Topp has put pen to paper on a deal with his former club SV #Werder Bremen after a three year spell at Schalke 04 ✍️
Read more ???? https://t.co/DgBOJ25HZjpic.twitter.com/7C4zqmSqGy
— SV Werder Bremen EN (@werderbremen_en) June 19, 2024

“I want to develop further”

Topp, though, is not expecting to be an immediate starter at SVW, as he explains: “I’m 20 years old and I’ve only had one season as a professional, so I can’t set my expectations too high. I’m looking to integrate myself into the team and show what I can do on the pitch. I want to develop further at Werder.”

And Topp has already had a special moment ahead of his first season in Werder’s first team: “It was a memorable experience to see Oliver Burke when I was in the away end for Werder’s 3-2 win at Dortmund, and I got a good beer shower,” recalls the striker.

???????????????? ???????? ???? ???????? ???????????????????????? ????
Forward Keke Topp has put pen to paper on a deal with his former club SV #Werder Bremen after a three year spell at Schalke 04 ✍️
Read more ???? https://t.co/DgBOJ25HZjpic.twitter.com/7C4zqmSqGy
— SV Werder Bremen EN (@werderbremen_en) June 19, 2024

“I want to develop further”

Topp, though, is not expecting to be an immediate starter at SVW, as he explains: “I’m 20 years old and I’ve only had one season as a professional, so I can’t set my expectations too high. I’m looking to integrate myself into the team and show what I can do on the pitch. I want to develop further at Werder.”

And Topp has already had a special moment ahead of his first season in Werder’s first team: “It was a memorable experience to see Oliver Burke when I was in the away end for Werder’s 3-2 win at Dortmund, and I got a good beer shower,” recalls the striker.