Toni Rudiger says Willian joining Arsenal would be a huge loss for Chelsea but the Germany centre back said that the decision must solely come down to the Brazilian winger.
Willian, who has not travelled to Germany for tonight's Champions League round of 16 second leg against Bayern Munich, is out of contract once Chelsea are knocked out of the competition and is expected to swap West London for North ahead of next season.
The 31-year-old was demanding a three-year deal to stay at Stamford Bridge but Chelsea were only willing to offer two years and head coach Frank Lampard said that the club tried everything they could to convince one of the squad's most experienced players to stay.
"He is his own man and he makes decisions for himself," Rudiger said. "I don’t know what the situation is yet.
"But if he goes it will be a huge loss for us. Especially after the restart people could see he was very important for us."
In particular the manner in which he has set an example for young players such as Callum Hudson-Odoi, who could start tonight against the team that tried to sign him last summer.
Rudiger, who has called on his team-mates to show some pride at Allianz Arena after losing the first leg 3-0, added: "He showed it on the pitch.
"He's someone who is not really vocal, he's not a guy to speak too much but on the pitch he does his stuff.
"After training he is always shooting, trying to improve.
"As a young kid, if you look at him it is an honour to train with someone like him to see and ask questions. That is massive for the young guys."
