Kai Havertz has been the most anticipated signings out of all the signings Chelsea made.
It took Chelsea months of negotiations to get one of the most promising players in the current times. Chelsea hasn’t made such a statement signing since Eden Hazard in 2012.
History of Kai Havertz
The 21-year-old started playing football from the moment he could walk. Kai joined the football youth academy at the age of four. Then, in 2010, he got the call from Bayer Leverkusen where he joined their youth setup. He made his debut for the senior team in 2016 at the age of 17 years. This made him the youngest player to enter a Bundesliga match at the time. Two years and dozens of broken records later, he was called up to the German National Team at just the age of 19.
Comparisons with even Lampard
A generational talent as the football pundits describe him.
“Kai is a really exciting signing for myself and for the club first and foremost. He is a player I have been aware of for a long time and as a fellow attacking midfield player, I have paid particular attention to those types of players for some time.
Is Kai Havertz Chelsea's new Frank Lampard? 🤩 pic.twitter.com/LT26zwOTOL
— Goal (@goal) September 10, 2020
“I was aware of his talent and in conjunction with the club, we know how we want to go forward and look to improve in the right areas, and for players who are going to be here hoping to improve and mature, but are already at a very high level, he absolutely fitted the bill for us, so I am delighted to have him”- Lampard on Kai Havertz.
No wonder Havertz draws relentless comparisons to his own coach Frank Lampard, the greatest goalscoring midfielder ever. Lampard acknowledges the comparisons but also highlights some minor differences in their respective skillset.
“It is very easy to make those comparisons. I know he is hungry to score goals and make assists so I have already had those conversations with him, but I do think we are quite different in our styles.”
Kai can probably start in various positions in the forward areas. Lampard used to like coming from deep as a midfield player. But a lot of Kai’s stellar displays have come in the last few seasons as he has broken through at Leverkusen in a slightly advanced attacking role. A role of no.10 role, or covering wider areas. He played as a striker role too for Leverkusen.
Havertz is often described as a player with practically limitless potential to go with a stable head. He has a lot of will to improve every day in training. These traits would be selling points for any coach, let alone Lampard who himself showed similar qualities during his playing days.
Describing Havertz’s personality on his first training sessions with Chelsea, the manager was surely overwhelmed.
“On his personality, I have been absolutely overwhelmed with how humble and down to earth he is, and how well he wants to do here, and how he is very excited with the challenge. He wants to come here and be a top player for Chelsea, and really prove his talents on this stage.”
“That to me has been one of the most exciting things, not just to be excited about him arriving as a top talent, but to see his mentality as he has come in. That gives a really good feeling about how his career is going to be at Chelsea,” said Lampard.
Versatility
Havertz is a versatile player who is comfortable in various positions. He can play as a striker, winger and can even occupy deeper positions without dropping his quality in the game.
“The versatility is something we will certainly use. It is refreshing as a manager when you have a player come in who can play in different positions and also wants to play in different positions,” said the Chelsea boss.
This could be a tactical weapon for Lampard as he could utilize it in different matches. Lampard is looking forward to keeping a check on the expectations over Havertz.
After all, Havertz is still young. He is just 21 years old who has arrived in a new country, and with a gargantuan price tag. No wonder he is would be closely scrutinized in the Premier League.
The German midfielder has great talent on the ball and his productivity is exceptional in terms of goalscoring and assists. He is physically strong too. The Bundesliga fans called him the next Michael Ballack.
Every fan of Chelsea is excited to see what he can do but Lampard should be very careful to protect his player from unnecessary pressures. Only then his true talent can flourish in Stamford Bridge.
