Toni Rudiger Reveals How He Convinced $58M Star Forward To Reject Liverpool

Chelsea defender Toni Rudiger has revealed how he convinced German compatriot Timo Werner to join Chelsea and not Liverpool ahead of the summer transfer market.

Chelsea announced a few days back that they had triggered Werner’s transfer fee of $58 million after Liverpool backed out of the race despite Werner being their top target ahead of the 2020-21 season.

While the Reds said they could not afford Werner’s asking price, it was also reported that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, who had been in constant touch with the player all this while, had asked Werner to wait for a year. Werner, instead, agreed to Chelsea’s agreement and has been signed by the Blues on a five-year contract. The deal, however, is still subjective to his medical test that is expected to take place at the end of the ongoing season.

Rudiger, who has known Werner since the latter was 17, has disclosed in an interview that he spoke a lot to Werner during the lockdown in a bid to convince the striker to move to Chelsea and not Liverpool. Rudiger’s efforts eventually paid off when RB Leipzig’s Werner decided not to wait a year for Liverpool to sign him.

“Like everyone, I’m very excited that he’s chosen Chelsea and I’m looking forward to working with him. I’ve known him since he was 17 and he did very good in the past few years. He can be very important for us. I did speak to him before because we have known each other for a long time,” Rudiger said, according to Chelsea’s official website.

Considering the Premier League is different and arguably the most competitive soccer league in the world, Rudiger hopes Werner adapts to the conditions quickly and is certain he will because Werner is “always ready to do better”.

“We spoke a lot during the lockdown and he told me he was interested in coming to England. Of course, then I did my bit, what I had to do. I would say he’s a quiet, humble guy, always ready to do better,” Rudiger added of Werner’s personality off the pitch.

“I hope he adapts very quickly when he comes because as we all know this competition is different than others,” the 27-year-old added.