Overview
- The 20-year-old academy product is a free agent after her contract expired and used an emotional Instagram post to criticize head coach Friederike “Fritzy” Kromp.
- Kunkel remains sidelined after a cruciate ligament tear in March and has no club while she recovers for several months.
- Werder sporting director Clemens Fritz said the club offered to manage her rehab in Bremen with a route back through the Regionalliga but Kunkel chose a different path.
- Fritz publicly defended Kromp as an excellent coach and said tough selection decisions were necessary, and Kromp later addressed the squad in training saying the issue was discussed and would not burden the team.
- The departure is one of more than ten this summer as Werder reshapes the women’s squad after its best season under Kromp, a change that will test the coach’s plans and the club’s culture going forward.