German forward Timo Werner has claimed that he has no regrets choosing Chelsea ahead of Liverpool in 2020.
Werner, 26, had the opportunity to play under Jürgen Klopp on two separate occasions; first, while he was at VfB Stuttgart and second, while he was with Red Bull Leipzig.
Klopp wanted to sign the forward for Borussia Dortmund while he was manager at the German club but the deal fell through. The next time was in 2020, when Werner had become one of the hottest players in the Bundesliga and was being courted by a host of clubs including Liverpool.
The Reds were in the pole position to sign the forward only for a U-turn to be made to Chelsea instead.
His choice of Chelsea has seemed like the wrong move as Werner has been unable to hit the ground running or even maintain a good run of form for a long stretch. However, he claims that Chelsea were the right choice for his career and that he does not regret the move.
Werner said to London Evening Standard: “The only thing I can say is they have a German manager. I have known him for many years before, because when I was in Stuttgart, he talked about going to Dortmund. Then I played not so well, so it was done.
“When I was in Leipzig, I had the possibility to come to the Premier League. Liverpool were also in my thoughts and were a big possibility for me, but at the end I decided for Chelsea and I won the Champions League title last year. It was not the worst decision.”
Werner places Tuchel and Klopp on the same level
Werner also praised Klopp but claimed that his current coach – Thomas Tuchel – is on a similar level as the Liverpool boss.
“He is one of the best coaches we had in Germany,” he said. “Not to attack our manager, but over the past years he won the most titles. He has a very nice personality – a personality that the German people love, because he seems like fun.
“The Germans love the types like Thomas Muller, Jurgen Klopp – they have empathy. They say what they think, and that is really important in this business, to not fake something.
“He’s real. He is a funny guy and also, with his power on the sideline, he tries to bring the people with him. That’s what we Germans like.”
As for Tuchel, Werner said: “He is on a level now where, when you say who are the best managers, you have only now Klopp, him and [Pep] Guardiola maybe.”
