CHELSEA HAVE COMPLETED THE SIGNING OF KAI HAVERTZ FROM BAYER LEVERKUSEN FOR A FIVE YEAR CONTRACT
He is the latest high-profile capture for the 2020-21 season at Stamford Bridge, joining Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva, and takes their spending on reinforcements over £200m.
Havertz broke into the Leverkusen first-team as a 17-year-old in 2016-17 and quickly became a regular in the starting XI, appearing in the line-up 37 times across his first two Bundesliga seasons.
It was in 2018-19 when Havertz truly blossomed, however, scoring 17 times in the Bundesliga, a record for a teenager in the German top-flight.
He followed that up with another 12 in 2019-20, while his assists haul doubled to six.
More of a finisher than a creator, Havertz’s abilities around the penalty area have drawn comparisons with Michael Ballack – like him, a former Leverkusen star – and Frank Lampard, his new head coach.
But Havertz has also been noted as remarkably quick for someone of his height, and he appears well prepared to adapt to the Premier League should Chelsea find the correct role for him.
Barcelona, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich had all been mooted as Havertz’s potential next destination, but it is Chelsea who have taken the plunge.
He has proven pedigree in one of the best leagues in Europe, he plays for the German national side and he is an exciting, dynamic talent.
