Timo Werner should have chosen a move to Liverpool over Chelsea, according to Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Werner has endured a difficult two seasons at Stamford Bridge since his £45m move from the Bundesliga in June 2020 and has been heavily linked with a move away from Thomas Tuchel's side in the final weeks of the transfer window.
The 26-year-old also recently revealed that his 'happiness' was not exclusive to Chelsea as he looks to ensure he has sufficient playing time ahead of Germany's World Cup bid later this year in Qatar.
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"First of all, the most important thing is that I am happy," said Werner. "I am happy when I play and score goals. That's the fact. I could be happy everywhere. It is clear I want to play more, and I should play more to first be in good shape for the World Cup and, also, to have a chance to play at the World Cup.
"I think of course the manager always has different ideas, different thoughts and what you need in different games. I think in many games I was not in his thoughts so I try to change that."
And now Romano has admitted that it was a mistake for the forward to join Chelsea over a move to Anfield two years ago.
“In my opinion, Werner is a high-level player but he needs a different style of play to shine: because of this, I feel a move to Liverpool instead could have helped him fulfil his potential,” the Italian wrote in his column for Caught Offside. “Unfortunately, Chelsea were quicker at the time, with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp speaking to the player, but no direct talks between the Reds and RB Leipzig."
In the spring of 2020, just months before the coronavirus wreaked financial havoc on the world as we knew it, Liverpool's sporting director, Michael Edwards, was drawing up plans to improve Jurgen Klopp's squad.
The then RB Leipzig, and Bundesliga sensation, had been a player strongly linked with a move to Anfield as his versatility and prowess in front of goal were highlighted as outstanding attributes that could provide suitable support to Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
In previous years, Liverpool have enjoyed a good working relationship with the Red Bull institution as they were able to beat a whole host of Europe's biggest clubs to the signatures of Naby Keita and Ibrahima Konate in 2017 and 2021, but the Reds remained patient and ultimately made their move for Diogo Jota instead.
While Werner appears to have missed his chance to work with Klopp at Anfield, it would have been interesting to see how he would have fared if he had made the move. Evidently missing the killer instinct in front of goal during his time at Chelsea, Klopp's track record, which includes working with the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, would have suggested he may have been able to get a finer tune out of the 26-year-old.
Werner has, at times, been deployed on the left side of the attack as his pace and willingness to get in behind was used to stretch teams and create space for Kai Havertz and Mason Mount in more central areas. And given how much Klopp adores versatility in his forward players, it seems the German would have been the perfect fit for life on Merseyside.
Last season was a largely underwhelming one as he mustered just four Premier League goals in a season that saw him make just 21 appearances as struggled with injury and illness. Having said that, it wasn't much better during Werner's first campaign at Stamford Bridge as he managed just six strikers in 35 league outings as he struggled under the management of Frank Lampard.
His recent comments prompted a strong reaction from his manager Tuchel and also subsequently saw him linked with a string of clubs across the continent as his future in West London seemingly remains in the balance. The Mail is reporting that Werner had been offered to Juventus as the Londoners looked to strike a deal for the outgoing Matthijs de Ligt prior to his move to Germany.
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