The wait is over for Chelsea fans. The #AnnounceHavertz campaign on both Bayer Leverkusen and Chelsea social media handles can finally end now. Kai Havertz is a part of the blue half of London now.
The 21-year-old has been called a generational talent back in Germany. This is exactly why Leverkusen boss Peter Bosz ended up calling it a loss of a big player from their camp.
Havertz is joined by his German team-mate Timo Werner, who recently completed his move to Chelsea a couple of months back. The Blues have been on a transfer rampage off late. They have signed Hakim Ziyech, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr too for the upcoming season.
So let’s take a detailed tactical and statistical analysis of Kai Havertz, as Frank Lampard prepares his conquest for the title in a week’s time.
A Detailed Analysis of Kai Havertz at Chelsea
An Extremely Versatile Player
It will be underwhelming to call Havertz a midfielder. The German International played a full range of six different roles just in his last season at Bayer Leverkusen.
Havertz can play in literally any position in the opposition half. Being a left-footed player, he usually likes to play on the right flank, but statistics reveal that his best games for the German club have come in a central attacking midfielder role and as a striker. He has 16 goals and assists in all competitions last season in those two particular roles. That is 67% of his total of 24 goal contributions last season.
Chelsea already have a strong front-three in Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech. This clearly means that Havertz will have to find his place in the three-man midfield of Frank Lampard.
With the German being at his best in a central role behind the striker, Lampard may have to adjust his formation to accommodate two pivots in the centre and Havertz up-front in a false nine role. But considering the amount of money the Blues have paid for their new recruit, there is no doubt Lampard will oblige.
Kai Havertz in Comparison With the Current Chelsea 0ersonnel
Analysing the current Chelsea squad, there are only two players who come closest to Havertz in terms of their positioning and attributes. Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic are actually the only two attacking midfielders in the Blues camp despite their amazing squad depth.
Mount had 12 goal contributions this past season, while Pulisic ended the season with 13 goals and assists for himself. Havertz had a total of 18 goal contributions in the Bundesliga alone, while he contributed 26 goals and assists in all competitions for Leverkusen last season.
But Pulisic wins the show here. The United States’ star played made just 19 Premier League appearances last season which is almost ten appearances less than both Mount and Havertz.
Can Help Chelsea in Set-Pieces
Chelsea had one of the worst set-piece statistics last season. There was a point of time when the club was going down with every corner they were conceding. Havertz can help a bit with this issue.
With the arrival of Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell, the set-piece strength of the Londoners looks set to improve. But with an average of more than 1.4 aerial duels won per game last season, Havertz is a weapon in both the penalty boxes.
The 21-year-old midfielder also scored three goals from 13 headers last season. This is one of the best-headed goals conversion ratio in Germany. Hakim Ziyech’s sublime crossing and lofted passes finally have another contender to finish, at Chelsea.
The German Reunion
There is no doubt Timo Werner and Kai Havertz are the face of the new German International attack for Joachim Loew. With these two youngsters playing at the same club, the team chemistry is at a new high.
Antonio Rudiger is also a big part of Frank Lampard’s future plans and the German defender’s on-field understanding could only result in the betterment of the club for years to come. Recently, in Germany’s 1-1 draw with Spain, Rudiger and Werner had a good on-field tempo with the duo combining on many long balls in the opposition half.
On a very superficial note, this will also be a big factor in attracting German talent to the blue half of London in the future.
Emulating Frank Lampard
Havertz has the same exact attributes that Lampard possessed during his playing career at Chelsea. With the latter turning into one of the biggest club legends, Havertz’s prospects for a similar future look really bright.
The new Chelsea star even mentioned in his first interview with Chelsea that Lampard could help him score more goals. But, there is no doubt there is more to Havertz’s game that Lampard would demand in London.
A big part of Chelsea’s defeats this season has been their defensive weaknesses. A lot of pundits have claimed that the offensive players’ lack of defensive abilities are the reason to blame. With that being said, Havertz might have to evolve in a more responsible player in the coming future.
Nevertheless, Chelsea surely have got a generational talent coming in as the new season awaits.
Main Photo
