Now that Havertz to Arsenal is a done deal we analyse his time at Chelsea and possibly find some answers to why his time there was not a success and discuss where he could blend in at Arsenal and in whose place.

Why Havertz at Chelsea wasn't a success?

Frank Lampard | Chelsea | Kai Havertz | Sportz Point | — Havertz is signing for Chelsea. (Photo by **Chelsea FC/Getty Images**) .

On 4th September 2020, Chelsea signed a German midfielder in the name of Kai Havertz. He was Chelsea's second most expensive signing after Kepa. Chelsea offered him a five-year contract and payed around £71m for him. Roman Abramovich was a big fan of the German. Unlike every other Premier League club Chelsea had a very good transfer window during the pandemic in which they bought in Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Thiago Silva were the other two marquee signings.

Havertz under Lampard

When Chelsea bought Havertz, it looked like Frank Lampard might have a plan for the midfielder and initially he did. He played Havertz behind the striker as an attacking midfielder, the position in which he played at Bayer Leverkusen.

In the first few months he wasn't given enough time to settle down in the club and when he finally started to, Lampard shifted him to the right and made him play behind the Right Winger in the midfield, where he was not at all comfortable. But because it was in midfield he still made things work for himself and the club. But then Lampard got sacked and Thomas Tuchel came in.

Havertz under Tuchel

Tuchel dropped Havertz from the starting XI because in his 3-4-1-2 formation there was no place for another attacking midfielder other than Mason Mount who was in a very good form that season.

He regained his place in the starting XI in a match against Everton where Chelsea had won by 2 goals to nil, but in a no. 9 position. The German was not that good in that no. 9 position where he had to receive the ball, facing his back to the goal. He was good in the false 9 region where he would run towards the goal with the ball on his feet or even as a second striker where he would play just behind the striker.

Thomas Tuchel | Kai Havertz | Chelsea | Sportz Point | — Thomas Tuchel and Kai Havertz. (Photo by **Chris Lee - Chelsea FC/Getty Images**).

In the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, Thomas Tuchel played a 3-1-4-2 formation where Havertz and Werner were upfront. The Germans had a good understanding of each other's playing style so Havertz had a pretty decent game that night at the Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea defeated the Spanish giants.

Then Tuchel again changed the formation to 3-4-2-1 where Havertz played as an attacking midfielder. He played pretty well in that position, but the continuous change in the formation and the position in which he played caused him to be unsettled in the team.

He scored the winner and the only goal in the Champions League final against Manchester City and was highly rewarded for it but his position in the team still was not fixed. Tuchel couldn't get the best out of Havertz despite him having a lot of potential and talent.

At the start of the next season he was put back into that Attacking midfield position and was pretty decent in it, but then Thomas Tuchel got sacked and Graham Potter took over. Potter played Havertz in different positions but mainly as a striker which caused him to be low on confidence and vulnerable during the games.

Havertz under Potter

Kai Havertz | Graham Potter | Chelsea | Sportz Point | — Graham Potter backing Kai Havertz in the media despite criticism. (Photo by **Getty Images**).

He did score goals once in a while but Havertz didn't really feel comfortable playing a striker. He wanted to play in the midfield which he often stated in the press conferences too. Todd Boehly bought Potter so many players in the winter transfer window that season that he couldn't manage them as a team which ultimately resulted him in getting sacked.

There was no improvement under Potter too because of insufficient game time and the formation Potter mostly played was 3-4-2-1, which would've suited Havertz better if the two attacking midfielders didn't attack from the wide areas and just made late runs in the box.

After Potter got sacked Lampard took over as a caretaker manager and Chelsea went from bad to worst. It looked like Frank Lampard didn't have any clue of what was going on and the players were so low on confidence, it literally showed in their gameplay.

This constant array of managerial changes was also one of the many reasons Havertz's time at Chelsea was not that great. He couldn't cope up with playing under three different managers in three seasons and that's why he might be referred to as a "flop" at Chelsea.

Why Havertz to Arsenal makes sense?

Mikel Arteta is a huge fan of Havertz's gameplay. With Havertz to Arsenal being a done deal he would be delighted. He thinks, he can transform the player or get the best out of him. On paper Arsenal played 4-3-3 last season but when they were attacking their formation changed to 3-2-5. Zinchenko used to move into the midfield position and Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka pushed forward into the half-spaces.

With Xhaka leaving the club in the summer, Havertz is expected to play in his position, the same position he used to play in Bayer Leverkusen. This would allow Havertz to operate deeper where he would have the ball on his feet more often which he was unable to do with being a no. 9. Havertz's off the ball movement is amazing and he arriving late in the box and scoring some goals is just what Arsenal need. He could play in Granit Xhaka's position but his role would be much different than just being a box to box midfielder because of his defensive capabilities. That's why it would be interesting to see how Mikel Arteta uses him in the match.

Also read : Chelsea owner agree deal to take over Strasburg.

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