Gossip: Man Utd’s Pogba pledge to Liverpool ‘substitute’ Werner
WERN AND INFORM
So after all that, Timo Werner is joining Chelsea. Liverpool took the German out on a date, paid for the meal and drinks and even offered him their tracksuit when it got a little chilly, but the Blues managed to sneak in and consummate the deal first.
The Athletic promise ‘the inside story’, including how Werner joining Liverpool seemed ‘inevitable’ after a series of conversations with Jurgen Klopp, who advised the board to sanction such a ‘perfect’ transfer.
That is where the issues start and finish with regards to the Reds. Klopp failed to persuade Liverpool owners FSG to part with £54m during a global pandemic, so called Werner straight after to stress that the reason they would not sign him was ‘purely financial’. He ‘accepted the explanation and the two men remain on good terms’.
Liverpool said much the same to The Athletic when contacted directly, while stating that the Reds could hardly countenance signing a player for such sums when he ‘would have started his Anfield career as a substitute’.
Why have Chelsea spent £106m on someone they did ‘not’ want?
That was the plan for the Germany international, to ‘ease’ him into regular action by January 2021 when Sadio Mane and Mo Salah were scheduled to leave for the Africa Cup of Nations. That tournament is sure to be affected by the ongoing world situation so ‘the need for such expensive and high-calibre squad cover next season is lessened.’
Many members of Liverpool’s recruitment staff actually ‘rated Werner more highly than either Jadon Sancho or Kai Havertz’, both of whom are wanted by Manchester United. The former is their primary target and the latter is ‘open’ to joining.
But United pushed briefly for Werner, too. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer met him in Berlin in February, at which point it was clarified that he would only be pursued ‘if they found a buyer for Paul Pogba’.
They did not. Chelsea swooped in. The rest is not quite history because the deal hasn’t actually been done yet and could collapse which would be hilarious. But still.
CHELSEA SMILE
Chelsea might not even be finished. They want ‘two marquee signings’ and Ben Chilwell could still be the second.
The Daily Mirror say Chilwell would be ‘tempted’ by taking a step down from the club currently in third, albeit he ‘has not yet demanded to quit Leicester’.
The Foxes rate Chilwell even higher than Harry Maguire, who was sold to Manchester United for £85m last summer. And with the left-back having another four years on his King Power Stadium contract, he won’t be going for cheap.
Spending nothing in January and saving that budget might be the wisest thing Frank Lampard has ever done.
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