Timo Werner in action for Chelsea
Timo Werner in action for Chelsea
Timo Werner arrived in the Premier League in 2020 as one of Europe’s most productive forwards.
Chelsea signed him from RB Leipzig, where 95 goals made him the club’s record scorer, after activating a reported £47.5 million release clause.
The goals did not follow at the same rate. Werner scored 10 Premier League goals in 56 appearances over two seasons.
His first campaign set the pattern. He played in all but three of Chelsea’s 38 league games in 2020/21 and scored six times.
Sky Sports reported in October 2021 that his expected goal difference since the start of that season was the worst in the league.
Chelsea’s own records show another side. According to the club, no team-mate scored more goals or provided more assists in 2020/21, and Werner won the Champions League that May.
He later added the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup, then left in August 2022 after 89 appearances and 23 goals.
Now 30, Werner has revisited that period on The Late Run podcast. He said Chelsea’s way of playing did not suit him.
“I think that was the style how we played at Chelsea. Maybe it was not like the right style for me but it was the right style for our team back in the days,” Werner said. “So, always have to like what is it right for me or is it right for team?
“That was right for team, maybe not the best thing for me. Maybe if I would play at Liverpool or a different team, I would have more of that.”
Asked whether he regrets not joining Liverpool, he answered “Maybe, but not really.”
Werner said he had a good time at Chelsea, won the Champions League and made many friends there.
He has made similar points before. Before the 2022 FA Cup final between the clubs, he said Liverpool were a big possibility for him but he chose Chelsea and won the Champions League. He called that “not the worst decision.”
Liverpool were closely linked with him in 2020. Werner confirmed he spoke to the club, and in September 2020 he said he picked Chelsea for the style of football and because of Frank Lampard’s pitch.
Werner returned to Leipzig in August 2022 and was on loan at Tottenham Hotspur from January 2024 until May 2025. On 29 January 2026, he joined San Jose Earthquakes on a Designated Player contract through June 2028.
He was named MLS Player of the Month for April. He had scored six league goals through late October, and San Jose clinched a playoff place, their first since 2023.
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