Earthquakes sign former Chelsea forward Timo Werner to designated player contract

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20 December 2025, Saxony, Leipzig: Soccer: Bundesliga, RB Leipzig - Bayer Leverkusen, Matchday 15, Red Bull Arena. Timo Werner (RB Leipzig) in action. Photo: Jan Woitas/dpa - (Photo by Jan Woitas/picture alliance via Getty Images) (Jan Woitas/dpa/picture alliance via Getty I)


The San Jose Earthquakes acquired former Chelsea forward Timo Werner in a permanent transfer from Bundesliga side Red Bull Leipzig in Germany, the team announced Thursday morning.

Werner was signed to a designated player (DP) contract through June 2028 in accordance with the so-called "Beckham Rule" that allows Major League Soccer teams to sign up to three designated players whose salary exceeds the salary cap. The franchise referred to Werner as "the biggest signing in Earthquakes history" in its official news release.

"To have a player of Timo's caliber coming in is simply outstanding for the club and the community," Earthquakes head coach Bruce Arena said in the statement.

Werner, 29, compiled 57 caps with the German national team from 2017-23, scoring 24 goals across that stretch. His accomplished European career includes title wins in the UEFA Champions League (Chelsea, 2020-21), the UEFA Europa League (Tottenham, 2024-25) and the DFB-Pokal German Cup (Leipzig, 2022-23). He was reportedly close to a deal with the New York Red Bulls, an MLS sister club to Leipzig, last summer that never came to a fruition.

Easily his most productive stint came while with Leipzig from 2016-20, totaling 95 goals in 159 matches, before he scored 23 goals over the course of two seasons for Premier League side Chelsea in England. The longtime Leipzig star had played only 13 minutes in his latest spell with the club this season, on the heels of merely three goals in 41 appearances with Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, which he was loaned to for the better part of the previous two seasons.

Werner looks to turn the page in the middle of a Quakes rebuild. Arena ended his first season in San Jose with an 11-15-8 record, finishing just shy of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The campaign extended the franchise's five-year postseason drought but also marked improvement. Arena adopted a squad that was dead last in the MLS the prior season.

With Werner in place alongside fellow forward Cristian "Chicho" Arango, the Earthquakes have one DP roster spot remaining.

This article originally published at Earthquakes sign former Chelsea forward Timo Werner to designated player contract.

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