Julian Nagelsmann insists Timo Werner’s below-par display against Paderborn was not a direct result of speculation linking him to Chelsea.
The Red Bull Leipzig manager watched on as his star striker missed several good chances against rock-bottom Paderborn on Saturday night as part of an underwhelming display from the Germany international.
Werner missed several opportunities and Leipzig were made to pay, with Christian Strohdiek scoring two minutes into stoppage time to hand Paderborn a hard-earned point.
Ten-man Leipzig limped to a 1-1 draw with Paderborn. Patrik Schick put them in front but central defender Dayot Upamecano was sent off just before half-time.
Chelsea are believed to be closing in on the £53million transfer of Werner, who has scored 31 goals in all competitions this season, after beating Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City to his signature.
Blues boss Frank Lampard believes Werner will be a quality addition to his side, but he was nowhere near his lethal best on Saturday afternoon.
However, Nagelsmann swatted claims aside that Werner had been distracted by reports regarding his future, as Leipzig slipped to 11 points behind league leaders Bayern Munich.
‘No, it didn’t bother him,’ Nagelsmann said when asked if the Chelsea rumours had affected Werner.
‘He was very committed. He was always working out front, like [Paderborn coach] Steffen [Baumgart] said. He was on the run a lot.
‘He has a total of 32 or 33 goals this season. Today he missed a few chances, but still set up Patrik [Schick]’s goal.
‘I think he would have liked to score with one of his two big chances, but that has nothing to do with the hype about his person. He has known that since he was 14.’
Borussia Dortmund kept within seven points of Bayern after a 1-0 win over Hertha Berlin, with former Liverpool midfielder Emre Can scoring the only goal of the game.
Bayern had earlier beaten Bayer Leverkusen 4-2, with Kingsley Coman, Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry and Robert Lewandowski all getting on the scoresheet.
Lucas Aljario had put Leverkusen in front early on, while 17-year-old Florian Wirtz made history by scoring in the last minute of normal time, becoming the youngest scorer in Bundesliga history.
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