--- title: "Mio Backhaus joins Freiburg from Werder Bremen; after Europa League final appearance" sdDatePublished: "2026-05-23T13:05:00Z" source: "https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/mio-backhaus-freiburg-werder-bremen-signing-germany-youth-37531" topics: - name: "sport organisation" identifier: "medtop:20001125" locations: - "Japan" - "Bremen" - "Freiburg (im Breisgau)" - "Baden-Württemberg" --- Mio Backhaus joins Freiburg from Werder Bremen; after Europa League final appearance Freiburg land highly-rated goalkeeper Mio Backhaus from Werder Bremen | Bundesliga Freiburg land highly-rated goalkeeper Mio Backhaus from Werder Bremen Freiburg have strengthened their squad ahead of the new Bundesliga season with the signing of German U21 international Mio Backhaus from Werder Bremen. The 22-year-old stopper has enjoyed an impressive campaign atBrementhis season, racking up five clean sheets from his 32 Bundesliga games to date. His efforts between the sticks helped keepDie Grün-Weißenin the top flight after a challenging campaign.Backhaushas also established himself at international level in recent years, having played for every German youth side from the U15s to the U21s. Beginning his footballing journey at Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale, he moved to Germany at the age of 14 to play forAlemannia Aachen. From there, the youngster joined Bremen's famed academy, where he quickly rose through the ranks to eventually become their No.1 goalkeeper. Backhaus is now set to joinFreiburgfor the 2026 27 season, fresh from the club's maiden appearance in aUEFA Europa League final. It currently remains to be seen how his arrival will impact the future of star keeperNoah Atubolu, however.Bremen, meanwhile, have moved quickly to secure an immediate replacement for Backhaus.Karl Hein, who spent this season on loan at the German club, will sign for Bremen on a permanent basis this summer from Arsenal. Speaking about Backhaus' arrival, Freiburg board member Jochen Saier stated: "[Backhaus] impressively demonstrated the high level of play he can achieve in his first Bundesliga season. His calm and focused manner is contagious." "He covers all facets of goalkeeping, possesses great potential for development, and will also fit in very well with our team on a personal level. With Mio, we will continue to have a fantastic goalkeeping trio in the future." Backhaus himself added: "A door has opened, and I feel like I fit right through it. The whole package – the people I've spoken to here, the city, the stadium, and the style of football played in Freiburg – has led to this decision. I want to achieve something with the team, and I'm looking forward to joining the club." April Goal of the Month nominees Freiburg react to reaching Europa League final VfB Stuttgart 1-1 Werder Bremen Manzambi on the way to the very top BL2's April Goal of the Month contenders Vote for Rookie of the Season! Bayern react to Champions League exit Augsburg and Bremen share spoils Backhaus living the Werder dream Heidenheim fight back twice to earn draw with Bremen Manzambi awarded Europa League honour All the new jerseys for 2026