Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has lifted the lid on how he helped persuade Timo Werner to join the club - and says the striker reminds him of Leicester's Jamie Vardy.
It was announced last week that the German striker had agreed a deal to join the Blues from RB Leipzig this summer after Chelsea activated his £50m release clause, and there will be a great deal of excitement to see how he fares in the Premier League next season.
Rudiger knows Werner well from their time playing together at international level, and speaking to Chelsea TV he admitted he had been desperately trying to convince the player to make the move to Stamford Bridge over the last few months.
"I did speak to him before because we have known each other for a long time," Rudiger said. "We spoke a lot during the lockdown and he told me he was interested in coming to England. Of course then I did my bit, what I had to do."
Explaining Werner's style of play, Rudiger said Vardy was the current Premier League player he is most similar to, and said his movement reminds him of that of the Foxes' forward.
"He's a really big threat to defenders," Rudiger continued. "RB Leipzig is a more counter-attacking team but in terms of attacking the defensive line, he's similar to Vardy.
"He has a lot of pace and if the defender makes a mistake and loses the ball, then he goes!
"I would say he's a quiet, humble guy, always ready to do better. I hope he adapts very quickly when he comes because as we all know this competition is different than others."
Werner will join up with the squad in July and will play his final game for Leipzig on Saturday when they conclude their Bundesliga campaign with a trip to Augsburg.
