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Werner to Chelsea: Pace, precision and prolific record underline Germany star's quality

RB Leipzig's Timo Werner

Chelsea completed a major transfer coup by securing RB Leipzig star Timo Werner on Thursday.

The Germany forward has long been touted as a target for Liverpool, but the Blues have stolen a march on their Premier League counterparts.

But what sort of a player will Chelsea be getting when he arrives at Stamford Bridge in July?

Here, we take a look at the numbers that make Werner one of the most highly regarded players in European football.

MEASURING UP TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE ELITE

At 24, Werner is poised to enter his prime years and appears to be improving at a rate of knots.

Last season, he scored 16 goals in 30 Bundesliga appearances, under-performing his Expected Goals (xG) figure of 17.6, according to Opta data.

This term, he has raced to 26 in 32 outings at a rate that significantly outpaces his xG.

The early return of the Bundesliga has given Werner a chance to burnish his tally, with five goals in seven outings since the restart, including a hat-trick in the 5-0 demolition of Mainz.

But even in terms of goals-per-game, none of the leading Premier League marksmen are able to match the RB Leipzig star's average of 0.8 this season. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Jamie Vardy and Sergio Aguero are all on 0.7.

Vardy and Aubameyang do boast better shot conversion rates than Werner's 23 per cent, while Leicester City's former England striker also shades him 66 per cent to 65 in terms of accuracy.

Nevertheless, Werner compares incredibly well to his soon-to-be counterparts in England and his upgrade on Tammy Abraham's 0.5 goals per game for Chelsea could be a particularly significant one for Frank Lampard.

PUSHING LEWANDOWSKI IN THE BUNDESLIGA

Bayern Munich have also been noted as admirers of Werner and there would appear to be no more suitable heir to their prolific number nine Robert Lewandowski.

Since Werner's Bundesliga debut for Leipzig in August 2016, only Lewandowski (112) has scored more goals in Germany's top flight than his 76. Hoffenheim's Andrej Kramaric comes in third on 52.

Indeed, across Europe's top five leagues this term, Werner's 32 goals in all competitions is better than everyone's return aside from the Poland superstar's 46.

No player's goals in the 2019-20 Bundesliga have been worth more points to their side than the 16 Werner's have bagged for Leipzig, while the trademark style of some of those strikes has certainly caught the eye.

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