Senne Lynen has had a whirlwind of a week. After completing his medical on Monday, Werder's new signing finalised his transfer by signing his contract on Tuesday and shortly afterwards took part in his first training session at SVW. “It’s been so hectic and I’m sure it will stay like this for a few more days,” said the 24-year-old during his official introduction on Wednesday. “I’m still trying to get to know everyone at the club and still getting to grips with the city.”
The midfielder revealed that the club first made contact with him a few months ago, while he still under contract with Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. When Werder displayed a concrete interest, the Belgian suggests he did not have to think too long about agreeing to the transfer: “The move just felt right to me. I didn’t have to deliberate for long about joining Werder.” A contract extension at Saint-Gilloise, who were in the Europa League last season, was also on the cards, but this was not even an option for Lynen. “After last season, I wanted to take the next step in my career. Bremen was the perfect choice for me.”
Lynen is aware that, unlike in Belgium, he likely won’t be competing for the league title or on the European stage at Werder. “That works for me. It gives me more desire to compete for Werder at the highest level. I’m only focused on development and my future”, said the midfielder, for whom the leap from the Jupiler Pro League into the Bundesliga is huge. For this reason, he doesn’t want to put too much pressure on himself from the offset. “I know from experience that it can take some time for a foreign player to become accustomed to a team and to get to know everyone and their style of play.”
The 24-year-old described himself as a midfield “all-rounder”, even if his preferred position is as a defensive midfielder, a spot that the Werder fans were desperate to be filled. “I was told directly that the fans wanted a defensive midfielder. I know they expect a lot from me, but I quite enjoy this type of pressure. I hope that I won’t disappoint the fans”, said the Belgian. The high level of competition within Werder’s midfield is motivating him to perform better in training. “I’m trying to prove that I want to play more than anything”, Lynen explained, who will wear the number 14 on his back, following in the footsteps of Claudio Pizarro. “I was really young when he was at Werder, but I know of him. It’s always extremely special when you hear that your shirt number was previously worn by a club legend.”
