Kai Havertz etched himself into Chelsea history — but now he needs to carve out his own identity at Arsenal.
The 24-year-old is finalising his £65million switch across London after a mixed three-year spell with the Blues. His winner in the Champions League Final in 2021 means he will forever be part of Chelsea folklore, but the German has largely underwhelmed at Stamford Bridge.
Havertz is a big self-critic and has been frustrated by his time in England so far. There have been glimpses of his obviously quality, but he accepts he has under-performed.
It is still not clear what his best position is and he rarely looked comfortable with his role at Chelsea, but Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has made it clear he believes he knows how to maximise his enormous potential.
Arteta believes he can use Havertz in a deeper midfield role, as a No8 or a No10, while his ability to play anywhere across the front-three will give Arsenal stronger options in attack.
Havertz arrived as an attacking midfielder when he joined Chelsea for £71m from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020. Former boss Frank Lampard admitted Chelsea did not know his best position and he was largely used as a central striker at Stamford Bridge. Havertz believes he is more effective playing deeper, and a prolonged spell in a new position — and in a settled environment at Arsenal — could help him flourish.
Arteta’s fluid, fast style of play will also suit the German, allowing him to show off his varied skillset. His elegant first touch allows team-mates to launch incisive, attacking moves, but his languid style has often led to a misconception that he is a soft touch. But Havertz is a hard worker and often had some of the best running data in the Chelsea squad.
He was a key part of the Chelsea press under Thomas Tuchel on their run to winning the Champions League and helped Tuchel in his bid to make the Blues “horrible to play against”.
He managed just 32 goals in 139 games at Chelsea, but his quick and energetic running should help him become a regular scorer at Arsenal. Only Erling Haaland made more runs into the opposition box than Havertz in the Premier League last season.
His experience in the Champions League will also be crucial for Arsenal, with most of the squad at Emirates Stadium preparing to play in the competition for the first time.
In Germany he is often described as a combination of Michael Ballack and Mesut Ozil.
Havertz is not the only player to struggle at Chelsea. Just like Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic, he believes he has not had a stable environment to succeed.
Tuchel said Havertz was “Dennis Bergkamp, Robin van Persie, Dimitar Berbatov kind of player”, while in Germany he is often described as a combination of Michael Ballack and Mesut Ozil.
Now, after a frustrating spell at Chelsea, it is time for him to forge his own identity.
