Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has revealed that he urged the club to do "everything possible" to sign former teammate Timo Werner and joked he would be blamed if the Germany striker does not succeed.
Werner, 24, will join Chelsea on a five-year contract at the end of the season from Bundesliga club RB Leipzig after the Blues matched the €55 million (Dh227m) buyout clause in his contract.
The signing of Werner, who has scored 26 Bundesliga goals this season, was considered somewhat of a coup for Chelsea, who were reportedly competing with Bayern Munich for the forward's signature.
Rudiger played alongside Werner when he was coming through the ranks at Stuttgart, before both departed the club in 2016 - Rudiger to Roma and Werner to Leipzig.
"Of course I was asked by Chelsea for an assessment of Timo. I have known him for a long time and think that I can judge him very well from a human and sporting point of view," Rudiger told Sport Bild.
"I made a clear recommendation to do everything possible to get [the deal done].
"From next season, Timo will have to deliver, otherwise I will get in trouble from the club!"
Despite it being four years since playing club football together, Rudiger and Werner are still national team colleagues, and the defender believes his fellow Germany international has the qualities to excel in the Premier League.
"Although he is not a classic penalty area striker, he has a certain robustness to face the English toughness," Rudiger, 27, said.
"Timo's greatest strength is the counterattack - that might have been more difficult for Bayern or an Italian top team, who are always dealing with opponents who play deep.
"But in the Premier League, many teams outside of the top group are trying to positively play against us."
