Chelsea has signed German forward Timo Werner from RB Leipzig, just for $59 million, reports suggest. As per the current transfer market value, it is a bargain for the London club. The 24-year-old striker has already proved his mettle in Germany as well as on International level. The forward has scored 76 goals in his 125 appearances for RB Leipzig and 11 goals for the National Football team in 29 appearances. Julian Nagelsmann’s most preferred front man played a significant role along with his compatriot Julian Draxler for Germany in lifting the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. With three goals and two assists, Werner was awarded the tournament’s Golden Boot.
The trend of players coming from Bundesliga to the Premier league is a very old and successful saga. Be it Lucas Podolski to Arsenal or Kevin De Bruyne to Manchester City, most players have cemented their place in the Premier League.
Talking of Kevin De Bruyne, he Left Chelsea in 2014 For Wolfsburg and the rest is history. The Belgian played only one season and ended up scoring 10 goals and providing 19 assists, setting a new Bundesliga record, as Wolfsburg finished second and qualified for the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League. With 16 goals and 25 assists in all competitions, the attacking midfielder was named 2015 Footballer of the Year in Germany. Then Man City gaffer Manuel Pellegrini brought De Bruyne back to England in 2015. Today, he is one of the best attacking midfielders in the world. Like him, it is expected that Werner will also adjust in Chelsea and do great in the coming time.
Why Werner is fit for Chelsea
After the departure of Diego Costa and Eden Hazard, Frank Lampard’s Chelsea lacked a striking presence in attack. With the signing of Timo Werner, they have got themselves a mix of both. Werner is clinical in front of goal like Costa, and lightning quick like Hazard. According to reports, Chelsea is also looking forward to sign Kai Havertz, another German who is in a sensational form for Bayer Leverkusen. Moroccan international Hakim Ziyech has joined Chelsea recently. With players like Tammy Abraham, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Callum Hudson Odoi, and probably Kai Havertz playing in the front for Chelsea, the London club might end up winning the Premier League in the future.
Rumours had it that Liverpool Coach Jurgen Klopp was interested in signing Werner, but it eventually didn’t happen. Liverpool already has an attacking trio which is second to none. As the Reds have world-class attackers like Sadio Mane, Mohammed Salah and Roberto Firmino, who can destroy any defence in the world, it would have been difficult for Werner to be in the starting line-up. They have benched players like Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri, who can change any game in Liverpool’s favour. Players like Henderson, Wijnaldum and Milner make up the midfield for Klopp’s side and are generally in the starting 11. Fabinho, Chamberlain and Naby Keita are on either bench or are in rotation.
Liverpool has a lot of toptier players in the team, and not all players can play in the starting 11, whereas Chelsea lacked a top-tier striker in their team, and Timo Werner perfectly fits in it.
The writer is currently pursuing the Football Tactical Analyst course from Barcelona University.
