There are reports in England about how Petr Cech was instrumental in bringing Werner and Ziyech to Stamford Bridge.
The former Chelsea goalkeeper and the club’s manager Frank Lampard made an undercover pre-lockdown trip to Germany that helped the Blues leapfrog Liverpool and Manchester United to convince Timo Werner to move to Stamford Bridge.
According to the Telegraph, the pair gave Chelsea’s bid to sign the forward the personal touch, as they laid out their plans for how Werner will fit into Lampard’s vision for the team.
The report adds that the visit from Lampard and Cech, who won three Premier League titles and the Champions League as Chelsea team-mates, hugely impressed Werner, his family and his representatives.
The feeling was mutual, as Lampard and Cech were encouraged by Werner’s driven but humble character, and the trio have since remained in contact.
Cech played a key role, as both Werner’s father and his agent Karlheinz Forster are not fluent in English but the former goalkeeper speaks perfect German and he was able to translate, as well as offering his own expertise.
Werner was told about how Lampard wants his team to look next season and the duo talked to the 24-year-old about the winning mentality they want to breed at Stamford Bridge.
Lampard had made Werner his priority some time ago and enquiries had been made before Christmas with Cech holding a first round of talks ahead of the January transfer window, but Werner did not want to leave Leipzig mid-season.
Liverpool were thought to be leading the race to sign the Germany international, thanks to their charismatic manager Jurgen Klopp, while Manchester United had also shown an interest. Both clubs made personal contact before Chelsea, but Lampard and Cech proved their pulling power.
The journey to Germany, which is believed to have taken place back in Chelsea’s February mid-season break before the coronavirus pandemic struck, gives an indication of the approach to transfers that Lampard, Cech and director Marina Granovskaia are taking.
Granovskaia gave her full backing to Lampard and Cech making the trip, which made it clear Chelsea were prepared to meet the £53 million release clause if the player could be tempted.
It also left Chelsea in an excellent position to complete the deal at a time when Werner and his agent could not travel to England because of the coronavirus restrictions and the resumption of the Bundesliga.
Granovskaia had often been the lone negotiator following the departure of former technical director Michael Emenalo. By the time he left, ex-head coach Antonio Conte’s relationship with the club had broken down and his successor Maurizio Sarri often proved difficult to contact as he did not use WhatsApp.
But Cech’s appointment as technical performance advisor last summer, together with Lampard’s return to the club, has helped to bring the on and off-pitch departments back together.