RB Leipzig and Germany star Timo Werner is poised for a move to Chelsea this summer after the Blues agreed to pay his £49 million release clause.
The 24 year old striker used to the most hated football player in Germany but his goalscoring ability transformed his reputation and made him one of Europe’s deadliest strikers.
Werner came through the Stuttgart academy alongside Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger but a career decision he made almost ruined the striker’s career.
Stuttgart fans saw the striker as one of their own but all that changed after he made the move to RB Leipzig. The Stuttgart faithful never forgave him for leaving, particularly for Germany’s most hated club.
The hatred for Werner then spread like wildfire across Germany after a blatant dive against Schalke in late 2016. This prompted anti-Werner songs to be sang across German stadiums for months. Still only 21, the striker turned to a sports psychologist to help him.
“He told me that I could silence everyone who doesn’t like me by doing just one thing: scoring,” Werner later told Focus magazine.
Werner heeded to the advice of the sports psychologist and that helped transform him from Germany’s most hated player to one loved across Germany. Since joining Leipzig in 2016, he has smashed in no less than 92 goals in all competitions and Chelsea boss Frank Lampard will be hoping he brings his goalscoring form to Chelsea.