Antonio Rudiger believes reported Arsenal target Willian is ‘just like Eden Hazard’ and is desperate to see his Chelsea teammate sign a new contract at Stamford Bridge, the Germany international tells Goal.com.
A man nicknamed ‘Agent Rudiger’ by Blues fans certainly did his bit in convincing Timo Werner to swap Leipzig for London.
And now, it seems the popular centre-half is hard at work once again, as he looks to convince the long-serving winger to agree fresh terms.
As you might have heard, Willian is due to become a free agent after Chelsea’s Champions League campaign is concluded, with his final appearance likely to come against Bayern Munich on Saturday.
The Brazilian wants a three-year contract but, so far, Chelsea have only put a two-year extension on the table.
As a result, Arsenal look set to swoop, offering Willian a £130,000-a-week deal that would keep him at the Emirates until the age of 35 (the Sun, 5 August, page 54).
With one of Chelsea’s star performers looking increasingly likely to join a local rival this summer, no wonder the £29 million Rudiger is on the charm offensive once again.
“He is a great guy and a really, really good footballer. He is calm and humble and it will be sad if I don’t see him again as a teammate. He is not the type of player who talks that much,” says Rudiger, who has also made his admiration of Chelsea-linked Kai Havertz very clear of late.
“He does his thing on the pitch, just like Eden Hazard. By playing, he shows what he is about.
“He is a guy who dictates the game and not many players in the world have this type of quality.”
Willian may be entering the autumn of his career but, with 11 goals and nine assists to his name in 2019/20, the former Shakhtar Donetsk talisman still has a lot left in the tank.
Chelsea’s loss would undoubtedly be Arsenal’s gain.
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