Timo Werner backed to become a Chelsea 'great'... but it will take time

Matt Davies10 August 2020

Timo Werner's former RB Leipzig team-mate Yussuf Poulsen has warned Chelsea it will take time for the Germany international to settle in the Premier League.

The 24-year-old completed a £53million transfer to Stamford Bridge back in June, joining prior acquisition Hakim Ziyech as Frank Lampard continues to build a new-look attack.

Werner scored a sensational 95 goals in 159 appearances for the German club, becoming their all-time top scorer with his last touch in a Leipzig shirt.

Leipzig's Champions League campaign continues this week with a quarter-final showdown against Atletico Madrid, but Werner opted against finishing the season in Germany, instead joining Chelsea - where he trained with his team-mates for the first time in July.

But while Werner has given himself plenty of time to settle before the 2020/21 Premier League campaign kicks off on September 12, Poulsen insists it will take time to fully acclimatise.

In Pictures | Timo Werner's career so far

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“I think Timo will be a great striker in the Premier League over the next few years,” Poulsen said in an interview with the Sport-Informations-Dienst (SID).

“Of course, he has to get to know his team-mates and the league first; you can’t show all your qualities right away. But that will come in time.”

While it may take time to adjust to the Premier League, Chelsea certainly signed a player that was ever-improving in the Bundesliga.

After goal tallies of 21, 13 and 16 in the three seasons prior, Werner hit a career-best 28 league goals in just 34 games in 2019/20, adding four Champions League goals in eight outings.

He will face competition from both Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud, while Lampard is still pursuing the signing of the versatile Bayer Leverkusen youngster Kai Havertz.