Exclusive: Liverpool expert responds to new Tottenham signing and reveals how close he came to Anfield switch
Liverpool FC journalist Neil Jones has given his response to Timo Werner completing a loan transfer to Tottenham for the second half of this season.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest column in the Daily Briefing, Jones explained just how close Liverpool came to signing Werner a few years ago, before he ended up moving to Chelsea instead.
The Germany international struggled during his time at Stamford Bridge, never living up to the immense potential he showed in his first spell at RB Leipzig, while his second spell back with the Bundesliga side also didn’t go too well.
Werner is now back in English football with a loan move to Spurs, and it will be interesting to see if we can finally see him at his best in Ange Postecoglou’s side.
Jones insists LFC won’t have any regrets about missing out on Werner, but it does seem that a lot of effort was made to try to sign him before he chose Chelsea instead, though one positive, according to Jones, is that the Merseyside giants then signed Diogo Jota instead, and his time at the club has undoubtedly been a success.
“I think he (Werner) is a great example of a player whose career could have turned out very differently had he chosen his next move a little more carefully in key moments,” Jones said.
“In 2020, he was very much on the agenda at Liverpool. They tracked him extensively, conducted detailed research into his background and character, and were engaged in a lengthy dialogue with RB Leipzig over a potential deal.
“Chelsea, though, won the argument, convincing the player that he would be a more integral part of their side than at Anfield, where the established front three of Salah, Mane and Firmino was still in its pomp, and offering better personal terms in the process.
“My personal feeling is that had Werner moved to Merseyside, he would have fitted in far better than he ever did in West London. I know he won the Champions League with Chelsea, but it is impossible to regard his transfer as a success, given he scored 10 Premier League goals in two seasons there. He was the eighth of 11 penalty takers in a League Cup final shootout against Liverpool, and an unused sub in the FA Cup final a few months later. That tells you how his time at Stamford Bridge went.
“Liverpool harbour few regrets. They signed Diogo Jota after missing out on Werner, and the Portuguese international has proven a very smart acquisition. I suspect Werner would have too, but we’ll never know.”
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