Chelsea: Kai Havertz will shine for the Blues when he’s fully fit and settled

Chelsea fans should not count out Kai Havertz as the young German will thrive when he’s fully acclimated to the Premier League.

Commentators who have criticized Chelsea’s very young German acquisition so far for his performance will eat their words shortly. Blues fans need to have patience with up and coming star Kai Havertz, simple as that. The attacking midfielder will make all the naysayers cringe when he excels in the second half of the Premier League season and in the Champions League. If they can’t see the prodigious potential of the German National Team star, they are not paying attention. Simply put, this young man will shine.

Havertz has been affected by the issues that impact most footballers who move to a new country: a new culture, a new language, a new league and of course, a new team. Gaffer Frank Lampard made that exact point recently, succinctly citing the challenges new players face when transitioning from another country. It’s called acclimatization—where the players have to get accustomed to their new home, team and surroundings.

Chelsea has a few players like this due to its massive summer window, and Havertz is the youngest. In addition, the young German has had to deal with the impacts of Coronavirus. Few of us have any idea how this terrible physical situation impacts an individual, his stamina and how he just feels day-to-day. The impact differs from person to person and as Lampard said recently, he was very sick from this ailment. Take this to heart, but spectators have denigrated the young midfielder’s game, despite all these factors that have without any doubt whatsoever dramatically impacted his game.

Anyone who cannot see the incredible potential of this youngster needs to chill, take another look and cut this young German superstar-to-be some slack. Havertz was just fine against Sevilla, nothing an assist early on. In fact, he was better than fine—he did what he does best, passing the ball with a silky smooth technique—while also showing his pace—bursting toward the goal.

The transition to date for Havertz may not have been the smoothest, but neither has that of Timo Werner or other Chelsea acquisitions in the summer window. In some cases, the transition takes time and is not necessarily seamless. Alas, talent always wins out and in the case of the Blues’ summer signings, they will emerge in the second half of the current season. Every opponent of the Blues should be put on notice when the turn of the year occurs for this reason. When the period of acclimatization (or readjustment, whatever you want to call it) is over, watch out.

A major factor in the Chelsea re-emergence as a top contender in Europe will be its new contingent of stars: Werner, Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell and don’t forget Captain America, Christian Pulisic, who has been injured far too long early in his Chelsea tenure. Not to mention, Chelsea has Giroud, who is finally getting more time on the pitch.

All other players look like they’re rounding into form, and so will Havertz in due time—bank on it.