Timo Werner says both RB Leipzig and former club Chelsea share similar high ambitions.
On Tuesday Werner completed a permanent move thought to be worth in the region of €30 million back to Leipzig.
The German international is keen to kick-start his career ahead of the World Cup in Qatar after a disappointing two-year spell at Stamford Bridge.
He joined Chelsea in 2020 for €50m, opting not to take part in Leipzig’s rescheduled Champions League quarterfinal against Atletico Madrid — delayed due to COVID-19 — to give himself more time to adapt to English football.
Werner started well, scoring eight goals in his first 12 games up to mid-November, but managed just four more for the rest of the campaign as a loss of form and confidence set in.
Chelsea signed Romelu Lukaku for a club-record €115m last summer in a fresh challenge to Werner, but head coach Thomas Tuchel began to favour Kai Havertz as his central striker.
Although Lukaku has now returned to Inter on loan, Chelsea beat Everton 1-0 in their first game of the Premier League season with Havertz leading the line.
Tuchel’s side are in the market for another forward, and Barcelona’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is among those under consideration.
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Werner was completely left out of the Chelsea squad for the match against Everton as talks with Leipzig continued.
He has scored 23 goals in 89 appearances for Chelsea and although Tuchel is thought to be reluctant to part with the forward given the wider pressure to strengthen the squad, there is recognition the midseason World Cup has heightened the player’s fears over a lack of regular action.
And speaking after rejoining Leipzig, Werner was quoted on the Bundesliga club’s Twitter handle:”I’m really pleased to be back in Leipzig. The last 24 hours have been really exciting and it’s been a lot of fun to see so many familiar faces again.
“I had a good time in England. I learnt a lot and got to know a new league. At the same time, Leipzig developed a lot too. They’ve won a title and have the same high ambitions as Chelsea.”
Werner confessed that he always followed Leipzig’s performances while at Chelsea and stated that he had a good partnership with Christopher Nkunku in his first stint with the club.
“Christopher Nkunku and I worked well together in the past. I always followed Leipzig and I know that there’s a lot of quality here. I want to play my part in that.
“I think RB Leipzig’s style of football is a good mix of controlled attacking and fast counters. I want to use my quality to help make the team even better.
“I’ve always felt very at home in Leipzig. I’m comfortable here and it’s also important for me to be a bit closer to my family.”
He added:”I will do my best to get back into the knack of scoring as many goals as possible. Individual awards take second priority for me. There are a lot of good attackers in the league and more goals are being scored in general.”
“I think the level of general encouragement there has been since the announcement is fantastic. I’m delighted to be back here. The fans have always supported me in Leipzig and I’m delighted to be able to play in front of them again.”
