Kai Havertz opens up about issues at Chelsea after the transfer from Leverkusen
The current Arsenal star, Kai Havertz opens up about his struggling time at Chelsea after joining the Blues from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020. Prior to his tenure at Chelsea, Havertz, was a key member of Leverkusen’s senior team, which led to the Blues’ attention towards him.
An example of his brilliant showcase of consistency for the German club is his scoring 18 goals and providing nine assists in his 45 appearances during the 2019–20 season. This raised Chelsea’s expectations of the attacking midfielder during his £75.8 million transfer from Leverkusen.
However, it was tough for the German international to live up to those expectations, as he struggled to adapt for quite some time. Havertz had just nine goals and six assists in 45 appearances during his debut season for the Blues.
It’s not like he did not have enough time to adapt; he was at Chelsea for a three-year period and he never lived up to the expectations and the previous form he had while at Leverkusen. After the 2022–23 campaign, the German decided not to exceed his Chelsea contract and made a move to Arsenal for a £65 million fee.
Speaking to German outlet Welt Am Sonntag (h/t Football London), Havertz expressed his opinion on his Chelsea struggles. He said:
“I’m a person who needs time when I get into a new environment. I’m shy at first, a bit reserved, and not someone who comes out of my shell straight away. I always need a bit of time at the beginning and have to warm up to people – that was also the case after my move from [Bayer] Leverkusen to Chelsea. Once that happens, everything falls into place.”
Chelsea has always been a bit impatient with getting results. Since their high-expectations signing did not bring out the best in him immediately, they sacked him after three years of his tenure at the Blues. This move turned out to be fortunate for the Gunners, though.
For Arsenal, Havertz established himself as a key member in his debut season, scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists in only 37 appearances in the Premier League.
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Chelsea has always been a club that is constantly going through several changes, including managerial and squad changes. For a new player to adjust immediately in such a dynamic environment, it is undoubtedly a tough thing.
While Chelsea finished sixth in the Premier League standings this season, Havertz led the Gunners to finish as the runners-up in only his debut season with them and just two points below the winner, Manchester City.
