While still with RB Leipzig, Timo Werner caught the eyes of the elite clubs in Europe with his prolific goalscoring but the switch to Chelsea this season made the German realized that football is tougher in England. To date, the 24-year-old striker has scored only once in six Premier League games.
The goals were a far cry from Werner's record in Bundesliga. It used to be that Chelsea's No. 11 was scoring in two digits every season but in the type of game being played in the Premier League, his strikes are not clearing the net, at least with greater frequency.
Werner's former manager at Leipzig, Julian Nagelsmann, revealed that in a recent conversation with his former star, the player admitted that adjusting to England football is proving harder than he expected.
"I talked to Timo Werner as well, he told me that it's hard to play against teams in the Premier League - a bit harder, sometimes, than to play against teams in the Bundesliga," the German coach said, and per the report by Metro.
Nagelsmann saw Werner clearing the net 28 times in Bundesliga matches alone but the Blues forward has to sweat more to see his name on the scoresheet. It is clear that the Premier League is of a different level and the Leipzig boss conceded that the competition is one of the best in the world.
Nagelsmann, who was previously linked with a possible managing post in the Premier League, also suggested that England probably boasts of the toughest top-flight football in the world. And he admitted he can only give a fair appraisal once he gets a taste of how the league works.
Werner adjusting to England doesn't seem to bother Chelsea manager Frank Lampard, who made clear before the start of the season that his recent signings, who also include Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech, will take time to make an impact.
The German has yet to show his best version with the Blues squad but already Lampard is saying he has faith in the rising star, whom according to some pundits is the real deal.
In a report, The Daily Mail said Lampard will likely tap Werner as the new penalty taker for Chelsea, possibly replacing Jorginho, the current man on the job. This, in light of Jorginho failing to hit the mark twice in his last four attempts, the latest of which is Chelsea's Champions League game against Krasnodar in Russia.
As a result, Lampard refused to give any assurance that Jorginho will remain as his pick for penalty shots in the succeeding games. The boss said he will discuss the matter with the players but the name of Werner surfaced as a strong candidate for replacement.
"I know Timo Werner is very capable of taking penalties, as we saw. We have other players that can too," said the boss.
He clarified though that there is no problem with Jorginho at all and offered the midfielder's recent misses has got to do with the law of averages making its presence felt.
