Frings to leave Werder Bremen

Torsten Frings has played his last game for Werder Bremen after the club revealed he would not be offered a new contract.

The 34-year-old’s contract with Bremen expires in June, and a fter a disappointing season the club has decided not to offer him a new deal.

“It wasn’t a matter of money, there was no offer,” Werder’s general manager Klaus Allofs said Tuesday. “We’ve reached a point when we have to start rebuilding.”

Frings said he was keen to stay at Bremen, and denied he had rejected a new contract because of money.

“I have to accept that,” he told newspaper Kreiszeitung Syke. “It’s a shame, I’d rather have left after a more successful season.”

“I was recently accused by the public of only thinking of money and not being willing to make concessions. It was not about the money. I had no offer to reject or accept, because there weren’t any.”

Frings has spent 12 seasons at the Weserstadion in two six-year stints, separated by brief spells at Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.

He has made more than 400 appearances in the Bundesliga, as well as earning 79 caps for the German national team.

Normally regular challengers for the Bundelsiga title, Bremen finished a disappointing 13th this season after losing 3-2 at Kaiserslautern on Saturday.