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German legend Lothar Matthaus believes Timo Werner may have to leave Chelsea in order to “gain more match practice.” Calling himself a fan of the striker, West Germany’s World Cup hero has admitted that he’d like for the 26-year-old to return to the Bundesliga.
Since his €53 million transfer from RB Leipzig in 2020, Werner has struggled to establish himself as an undisputed starter at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has used him sporadically this season, allowing him only 736 minutes of Premier League football across 14 games.
Over the 2021-22 Premier League campaign, the German has only scored once, which is far from satisfactory for the frontman of an elite club. For Germany, however, Werner has looked nimble in front of goal, netting thrice in his last three games for Die Mannschaft.
Discussing Werner’s traits in his column with Sky Deutschland GmbH, Matthaus lauded the player for not lugging around a long face at Stamford Bridge. The German said:
“I like him a lot as a player. Even if he has long dry spells at his club or is rarely used. You never hear him grumble, complain or otherwise lament. He always puts himself at the service of the team, creates gaps, runs a lot and then rewards himself with a goal every now and then, especially in the national team.”
The 61-year-old claimed that pace was Werner’s biggest asset, highlighting the goal he scored in Saturday’s international friendly win over Israel.
Matthaus added:
“His big plus is of course its speed. You saw that not least in his goal against Israel. The national coach will really moderate that, I’m sure."
He finally gave his two cents on the former Leipzig man’s future at the Bridge.
The Bayern Munich legend opined:
“The question arises whether he might have to leave Chelsea to gain more match practice. Only he can decide that. I would be happy if we see him again in the Bundesliga. Like I said, I’m a fan of his style of play. Of course, if he manages to make it through at Chelsea, that would be great for him too. A goal against Holland could help with that and of course we wouldn’t begrudge him that.”
Having already qualified for the 2022 World Cup, Germany will play their final friendly from this international break against the Netherlands on Tuesday night (29 March).
Kai Havertz has become Chelsea’s go-to frontman at the expense of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner
Following Timo Werner’s disappointing debut season, the Blues decided to splash a club-record €113million to sign Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan last season. However, neither forward has managed to live up to the billing so far, with Kai Havertz emerging as Thomas Tuchel’s favorite frontman.
The former Bayer Leverkusen man has done superbly in front of Chelsea’s attack this season. He has combined effortlessly with his teammates and finished clinically in front of goal, much to the delight of his coach. In March itself, Havertz scored four goals and provided an assist in three Premier League games.
Nominated for the Premier League 'Player Of The Month' in March, Havertz has the opportunity to become the first Chelsea player to win the award since Eden Hazard (September 2018).
