At a time when Timo Werner is on the brink of returning to RB Leizpig, there appears to be a blanket opinion that the forward deserves to be branded as yet another attacking flop to grace Stamford Bridge. It is natural human behaviour to place more focus on the negatives than the positives, particularly if you are from England, and Werner has certainly given his detractors numerous reasons to pile on with their argument that he was not worth the money that Chelsea shelled out for his services in 2020.
However, despite being guilty of some highlight-reel misses during his two years in West London, forming an opinion that Werner is over-rated is a clear generalisation without delving into the impact that Werner has actually had at Chelsea. Sure, supporters would have expected more from the Germany international after his exploits in a progressive team such as RB Leizpig and given the publicity that Chelsea received for edging out Liverpool in the race for his signature. That said, the 26-year-old should return to his homeland feeling that he has played his part in the club's development since his arrival ahead of 2020-21.
The numbers branded about on social media over the past 48 hours have told you that Werner has contributed 23 goals and 21 assists from his 89 appearances in all competitions. Even if you assess that in black and white, it is a respectable return for a player moving to a new country and tougher league, regardless of his valuation, but if should be highlighted more that 21 of those 89 outings came from the substitutes' bench. Furthermore, Werner was only deployed as a centre forward on 56 occasions, with 24 outings coming on either flank.
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Werner also competed the 90 minutes in a Chelsea shirt less than half of the time that he made an appearance - 40 times to precise. That is a part of football and Werner should not be judged differently to any of his teammates or rivals, but when you take into account that he made 44 goal contributions from 6,046 minutes on the pitch - a goal or assist every 137 minutes - he should be provided with a lot more respect than he has received.
There is a fair argument when it comes to being critical of Werner's output in the Premier League - that rate goes up to 169 minutes for every goal and assist - but the flip side to that is would Chelsea have won the 2020-21 Champions League without having Werner in their squad? It was a similar case with Fernando Torres. The Spaniard was inconsistent at best in the top flight, but he contributed significantly during Chelsea's Champions League and Europa League triumphs in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
Back on subject, and Werner departs Chelsea with a total of eight goals and four assists from his 17 appearances in the Champions League. Half of his strikes came in fixtures away at Rennes and Zenit St Petersburg, but Werner was invaluable during the knockout stages in his opening season at the club, first being given responsibility down the middle in the last 16 against Atletico Madrid. Olivier Giroud's goal made the headlines at Wanda Metropolitano, but Werner's industrious work-rate was crucial across both ties, the attacker laying on the assist for Hakim Ziyech's important opening goal in the first half of the second leg.
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Werner was less involved in the quarter-finals against Porto, but he got the nod in both last-four fixtures against Real Madrid and in the final versus Manchester City, a sign of the faith that Thomas Tuchel had for his influence on the team at the time. He was in the right place at the right time to net against Los Blancos in the second leg, putting Chelsea ahead in the tie, and his clever run out wide took Ruben Dias out of the equation for Kai Havertz to score the only goal of the game in the competition showpiece against their domestic rivals.
Admittedly, Werner has been involved in games where he has squandered chance after chance - maybe even another chance after that - but he stepped up to the plate in game-changing moments as Chelsea became European champions for just the second time in their history, and that should not be forgotten. Neither should how Werner's numbers compare to that of Havertz's, his German compatriot who was signed in the same summer for a much higher fee.
With just 208 fewer minutes on the pitch than Werner, Havertz has seven less goal contributions, the pair sharing the same amount of strikes but Werner chipping in with more assists. Much has been made of how Tuchel seemingly lost confidence in the impact that Werner could have on his side, yet has persisted with Havertz who continues to divide opinion when given a role down the centre of the attack. Numbers-wise, however, Havertz has four goals and two assists in 21 Champions League games for Chelsea. If anyone is to be labelled as a Chelsea flop, Havertz should be higher in that list.
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Whether Werner rediscovers his very best form in familiar surroundings remains to be seen, yet it will be RB Leipzig who will feel like they have pulled off a huge coup in securing a reunion with a club legend for less than half of the fee that they received for his signature just 25 months ago. Tuchel is obviously comfortable with the decision and that is something which Chelsea supporters will respect, particularly with Armando Broja waiting in the wings, but Werner should not be mocked or scoffed at when the subject of his time at Chelsea comes into a conversation.
The topic of players finding rhythm with their performances has come up in Tuchel's press conferences in the past, and fellow attacking players such as Christian Pulisic, Ziyech, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Romelu Lukaku have also fallen foul to producing in fits and starts. That should be food for thought for Tuchel who, while he deserves every bit of credit and respect that he receives as Chelsea head coach, must also take some responsibility for the lack of consistency of his attackers since his arrival at the club in January 2021.
Darren Plant
