In all four of his seasons at Bayer Leverkusen, Havertz improved dramatically after the
Christmas break
By Josh Wright for WhoScored
Languishing mid-table with only two wins from their opening six
Premier League matches,
Chelsea are yet to reach the dizzy heights expected of them following their stunning spending spree in the summer. Frank Lampard landed a major signing in almost every position, investing nearly a quarter of a billion pounds in the process. Yet Chelsea are below Crystal Palace and Southampton in the table, even though those clubs spent less between them than what Chelsea dropped on Kai Havertz alone.
Chelsea paid Bayer Leverkusen £70m for Havertz, just below the £71.6m they spent on Kepa Arrizabalaga two years ago. As the goalkeeper has shown, a high price does not guarantee success. Nevertheless, Havertz’s transfer was generally considered a coup for Chelsea. Bayern Munich and
Real Madrid were among his suitors yet Lampard and Petr Cech wooed the 21-year-old. His performances in the Bundesliga skyrocketed at the end of last season – he had a direct hand in 15 goals in the second half of the campaign – but Chelsea have not been able to tap into that form yet.