Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler has claimed that Timo Werner is not good enough for Klopp’s side and revealed that he’s not a big fan of the 24-year-old German striker.
Timo Werner has been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea as the Blues are ready to pay the release clause of the German, although Leipzig chief denied any bid from the Blues. According to Fabrizio Romano, the player and Chelsea have agreed to personal terms.
Liverpool were the front-runners to sign Werner but the transfer fell through due to the financial crisis. Fowler claims that Werner is not at the level of Liverpool’s front three in terms of quality.
“I’ve heard the noise surrounding, Timo Werner, in recent weeks – but I’m not a big fan,” Fowler wrote in his column for the Mirror. “I realise he’s a talented player, he has moments of real brilliance in matches that underline his quality.
“But I stand by this: is Werner up to the standard of Liverpool’s current front three? Not for me.
“And, obviously, my opinion will be put to the test next season if he does complete a move to Chelsea.
“There has been so much rumour around his intended destination for months now, with my former club at the heart of that, but most of the other big names in European football have been linked to him.
Klopp revealed that Liverpool can’t afford to pay such a vast amount of money for Werner at present. This is the prime reason why Liverpool pulled out of the deal. Fowler talked about the ‘meltdown’ of Liverpool fans after hearing the news of Liverpool pulling the plug of Werner’s transfer.
“I’ve also seen the meltdown from some Liverpool fans when they realised he’s probably not leaving RB Leipzig for Anfield after all.
“It makes it seem as though he’s a Marco van Basten, a world-class player who would walk into any side.
“For the life of me, I don’t know why. I’ve watched him a fair few times and there are things about his game I like and admire.
“But does he influence games consistently enough? Not for me. Does he match up to the players you are signing him to challenge and replace? Not at Liverpool. Maybe at Chelsea.
“And that’s the important point I think supporters forget. I’ve heard so many people complaining about Liverpool owners not splashing the cash, not diving in on Werner when he’s a ‘steal’ at £52million. Is he really, though?
“This is the reality – all those other clubs, Barcelona, Liverpool, Juventus, Real Madrid, Man City and United have looked at him and thought, in the current market, his release clause fee is too high.
“How do we know that? Because otherwise, they would have activated it.”
– Hakim Ziyech already signed
– Timo Werner reportedly close
– In talks with Leicester for Ben ChilwellFrank Lampard’s Chelsea are getting business done 🤑 pic.twitter.com/sfonrZcrx7
— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 5, 2020
Fowler also gave his verdict on Chelsea’s bid. He mentioned that clubs are fighting from financial crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic and Chelsea saw it as a good opportunity to sign Werner, as no other club would’ve paid that amount.
“To be honest, I see a situation where Chelsea saw perhaps the only circumstance in which they would sign Werner. That they had to pay the release fee to get him – because other clubs wouldn’t. In short, they had to pay a massive premium to make him come to their club. We’ve seen it before with clubs struggling a tiny bit – they pay over the odds to get players. City had to do that for a while, Chelsea themselves too.
“At times, Liverpool have done that over the past two decades. It rarely worked for them.”
Robbie Fowler started his footballing career at Liverpool and spent the majority of his career at Anfield. He had two stints with the club – 1993-2002 & 2005-2007. He made 369 appearances for the Reds scoring 183 goals. He’s still Liverpool’s seventh-highest scorer of all time. He is currently managing Brisbane Roar from A-League.
