Kai Havertz has been warned of getting back to his top form if he wishes to be a regular for Chelsea by journalist Simon Phillips. The Blues’ £72 million signing from the summer of 2020 has often endured long patches of inconsistency, with many even claiming that he has not even hit the top gear in his two years so far at the club. Havertz recently marked century of appearances with Chelsea, but has only yielded a mere 24 goals and 14 assists.
Phillips has now revealed that the German’s position in the starting eleven at Chelsea under new boss Graham Potter is in jeopardy. Havertz had enjoyed full faith of his former gaffer Thomas Tuchel, who was fired by the club’s hierarchy after collecting just 3 wins from 7 games in all competitions. Potter is now rested with the responsibility of establishing his brand of football at the Stamford Bridge, and the former Brighton boss can well take some harsh decisions.
Havertz could be a victim of Potter’s Chelsea revolution
Chelsea splashed a then club record fee of £72 million on Kai Havertz after blistering stint at Bayer Leverkusen. The German had racked up 46 goals and 31 assists in 150 games for the Bundesliga side, before moving to the Premier League. While his debut season in the England saw him score only 9 goals and provide 8 assists in 45 games, it was quite justified given the transition he went through from a technical Bundesliga to the more physical Premier League.
However, last season was a bit of an improvement for the playmaker as he managed 14 goals and 6 assists in 47 games. While the numbers were still deemed as mediocre, Tuchel playing him as a makeshift number9 took the attention off his them. But come new season, the change in ownership and managerial post could be a countdown for Havertz.
New owner Todd Boehly is evidently an impatient demander, who green light the sale of Timo Werner back to RB Leipzig after he spent only two seasons at the club following his £47 million move from the German club back in 2020. While Havertz’s case is not believed to be this serious, Simon Phillips still has revealed that the 23-year-old is “on borrowed” time at the club. The journalist while speaking on GiveMeSport said:
“I think right now, the form that Kai Havertz is in, I think he’s on borrowed time. He’s not playing very well, and every time Armando Broja comes on, he plays very well and really stakes a claim, and I don’t think that can continue.”
Phillips’ comments come after Havertz has delivered dismal numbers in his 8 games so far for the Blues. He has only 3 chances created, 9 shots and a goal to show for his 585 minutes across those 8 appearances. On the other hand, Phillips claims loan returnee Armando Broja is waiting in the ranks to prove his mettle. Though the striker hasn’t managed to score a goal or provide an assist in his 6 games this season, Broja has definitely impressed with his work-rate which exceeds Havertz’s.
Meanwhile, Potter too has a task at his hands of bringing the best out of Kai Havertz. The new manager first needs to find out the best position for his talented player, a lack of which has hindered his progress. While Tuchel’s experiment of playing Havertz in a no.9 role did produce 11 goals and 3 assists, the presence of Broja and now Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang wouldn’t allow Potter to slot in the 23-year-old back in that position.