Werder Bremen and striker Hugo Almeida will be maintaining ties in the future. The clubs general manager announced on Monday afternoon that the Green-Whites have picked up te option to take the Portuguese front man under contract for a further four years. The 22 year old will remain on the Weser until 30.06.2011.
Allofs commented on the decision: “We are just completing that which we have intended for some time. The tendency over the last few weeks has been swinging towards the signing of Hugo Almeida. We consider him to have a lot of potential and we expect him to have a very positive future at Werder Bremen.
Head coach Thomas Schaaf added to the opinion of Allofs: “Hugo came to us late last year and has needed some time to get used to things. Despite that, he has made his way through and again and again displayed the massive potential that he possesses whilst scoring important goals at the same time. We want to continue his development together with him to help him consistently perform at this level.”
The news of the continued work with his team mates and training staff was like an early birthday present for the striker who turns 23 in two days time: “I came to Bremen with great expectations and it was always my goal to stay here – anything else would have been a huge disappointment. For that reason I’m all the happier to have achieved this. My start at Werder was a difficult time as I had to get used to the country, the Bundesliga and my new team mates. Now though I really feel like a part of this team and this city.”
Hugo Almeida came to Bremen from FC Porto in summer 2006 and won the league cup with Werder in his first season at the club. In the UEFA Cup he reached the semi-final with his new club and finished third in the league. In 28 games he scored five goals and has five assists to his credit. Above all, his goals in the UEFA Cup were of extreme importance. His first four Werder goals were against Ajax Amsterdam, in both legs of the Celta Vigo tie and against Espanyol Barcelona.