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On October 22, Fabio Chiarodia made his debut in the Bundesliga for Werder Bremen against SC Freiburg (0-2). Three days prior, the center-back played his first game in the DFB Pokal against SC Paderborn (6-7 after penalties). The year before, he made his professional debut for Werder in the 2. Bundesliga against Jahn Regensburg (3-2). In all three competitions, Chiarodia is the youngest player in Werder history and will always have a chapter in the club’s history. Whether he will continue to write history remains to be seen.
Chiarodia was born in 2005 to Italian parents in the German City of Oldenburg—his father left Italy in 1993 to help his brother-in-law with a local gelato place. First discovered by VfL Oldenburg, his talent was apparent, and aged nine, the left-footed defender moved on to Werder’s academy. There, his development has been rapid. Even before making his debut for Werder, scouts all over Europe had Chiarodia in their notebooks. The center-back has been linked to Leverkusen, Juventus, and Chelsea.
Then in October 2021, Bremen managed to sign their talent to a new contract that will run until 2024. But the deal has a catch. “When you sign a young player to a long-term deal, you will also have to accept an exit clause,” director of sport Frank Baumann recently said to Bild. “It wasn’t a given that we were able to sign him to a new contract because he had many very good offers.”
Chiarodia, Sargent & Co.: The youngest Werder debutants in history
Nonetheless, Werder seem to be optimistic that their biggest talent in the squad is not off to another team any time soon. “Fabio is a very self-reflective young player who sees a good sporting future at Werder,” head of Werder’s professional squad Clemens Fritz said to Transfermarkt. “In Bremen, he has the environment that provides him trust and time to develop. You never know what happens in football, but I am optimistic that Fabio’s future will be at Werder.”
Chiarodia has outstanding skills when it comes to the opening pass, his positioning, and one-v-one situations. Only 17, he is already close to the first team. On top of having already played 48 minutes over two games, Chiarodia also receives regular playing time with Werder’s reserve side in the Regionalliga Nord (fourth division), where he played six games. At one point or another, he will have to receive more playing time in the Bundesliga. But in Marco Friedl, Amos Pieper, Miloš Veljković, and Niklas Stark, Werder have three good Bundesliga defenders already. At the same time, the decision-makers at Werder do not believe that there is any sort of pressure of handing playing time to their top talent. “We are always in a good exchange with Fabio, whether it is his current situation or his perspective going forward.”
Fabio Chiarodia not under pressure at Werder – Decided to represent Italy
There is a strong sense of optimism on the river Weser that Chiarodia could become an important member of the first team and help continue the positive development under head coach Ole Werner since the club’s promotion from the second division ahead of this season. But while there is optimism, the decision-makers around Fritz also stress that they want to keep the pressure off their super talent.
“The club and Fabio are more than capable to assess the current situation,“ Fritz said. “And we believe the people surrounding Werder are able to do so as well. Fabio is a young, talented, and ambitious player who always wants to improve. We believe he can make the step to the Bundesliga. But we have to be patient and carefully guide him. He has now made his first steps but also knows he still needs to work hard.”
This week Bremen had to do without Chiarodia. The reason was an invitation by Italy’s football federation to a training camp guided by national team coach Roberto Mancini. The 58-year-old invited 70 prospects, among them the Werder talent, who has been playing for Italy since the U15. The decision not to represent Germany was accepted by Werder. “Every player has to decide that for themselves,“ Fritz said. “We don’t try to influence those kinds of decisions, and we also don’t try to change any minds. Fabio feels strongly connected to his homeland and decided to represent Italy with full conviction.”
From December 1 to 24, we introduce new players from different countries born in 2005. Area managers, users, and data scouts come into play as experts throughout the series. You can follow all those players by adding them to your TM watchlist.
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