Kai Havertz has hinted that the major overhaul of Chelsea’s squad in the past season has disrupted their progress.
Chelsea’s spending since Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali acquired the club almost a year ago is way beyond the £500million mark, yet big-name new signings such as Raheem Sterling, Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk have struggled to settle at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues have also sacked Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter in that time, with current interim manager Frank Lampard having lost all five games since his return to the dugout. Chelsea are languishing in 12th place in the Premier League table, level on points with pre-season relegation favourites Bournemouth, and the end of the campaign cannot come soon enough for the club.
Havertz was at pains to insist that he and his team-mates have little excuse for their turgid displays this season, but did indicate that the number of new players has been a factor.
“We got a lot of new players over the winter who first have to settle in with us in order to be able to show their quality,” Havertz said in an interview with Sky Germany.
“Of course, it’s easy to find excuses. I’m not blaming everything on something. At the end of the day, we’re all professional footballers and we have to win football games.
“Now we have our backs to the wall and aren’t doing very well in the table. We just have to do as well as possible from the last six games.”
Chelsea take on Arsenal tonight (Tuesday) looking for a first win under Lampard and just a fourth Premier League away victory all season and Havertz is hoping the rivalry – and denting the Gunners’ title ambitions – can motivate Lampard’s men.
The German forward added: “It’s a London derby, so hopefully we can get the fans on our side again.
“We hope to tease Arsenal a little bit. They’re in the title fight now, which is where we want to be. And if you can beat your rivals, that’s always good for the fans.”
