In the summer of 2020, Chelsea made two big splashes on two Germans. The first was the speedy goal scorer Timo Werner who has bought for £47.6 million. There was a lot to like about Werner because he scored 29 Bundesliga goals with RB Leipzig in the 2019/20 season and brought a lot of speed.
Then there was Kai Havertz who came from Bayer Leverkusen for £72 million which puts him as a tie for Chelsea’s biggest transfer with Kepa Arrizabalaga in 2018. Havertz was hailed as a “generational talent” by many as he brought excellent passes and crosses, awareness and could also score some goals.
Chelsea fans were excited about the two Germans arriving at Stamford Bridge and they were expected to perform well under Frank Lampard.
Unfortunately, nearing the end of their first season in London they have both struggled and faced a lot of criticism from fans and pundits. Lampard was sacked in January and Thomas Tuchel was brought in.
Chelsea’s 2-0 first-leg win against Porto brought some good performances from players such as Mason Mount but it was a rather disappointing one for Werner and Havertz. They were both subbed off for Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic in the 65th minute. Werner did not have a single shot on target and didn’t look noticeable and neither was Havertz.
Kai Havertz did not create a chance or have a shot against Porto.
— Squawka (@Squawka) April 7, 2021
He also didn’t attempt a single take-on in his 65 minutes on the pitch. #UCL pic.twitter.com/WOTYhWjGyE
Under Tuchel, both players have shown glimpses. Werner hasn’t been scoring but he has been getting assists lately. He has the most goal contributions than anyone on the Chelsea squad this season. (10 goals, 11 assists, and 7 penalties won in all competitions.)
As for Havertz, he has only managed five goals and five assists in all competitions including one goal and two assists in the Premier League. The March 8th game against Everton showed how good Havertz can be as he completing passes and creating good scoring chances. Havertz has an 86 percent pass completion in the Premier League which isn’t too bad.
As much as they both struggled this season, we shouldn’t give up on them yet.
First of all, Havertz and Werner came to a new country and a new league. The Premier League is different from the Bundesliga and it is tougher so time is needed to adjust.
Tuchel is also trying to figure out what is the best position for the two Germans. Havertz has been played at striker, attacking midfielder (both left and right), central midfielder, and winger under both Tuchel and Lampard.
For Werner, he has been playing the wing quite a bit and I think he is more suited as a striker. He looks lost often on the wing and putting him at striker could boost his confidence in front of goal.
It wouldn’t be wise to let both of them go and they need at least one more season at Stamford Bridge to prove that they belong. Werner is 25 and Havertz will be 22 in June so they are both still relatively young. Remember what happened with Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, and Romelu Lukaku? I’m not comparing Werner and Havertz to them as their situations were a bit different at Chelsea and were bought for much less but we should be patient with the two big German signings.
The missed sitters and bad form can’t be excused but both Havertz and Werner are good players and have shown excellence before. Both (particularly Havertz) still have a lot of potentials and their games are both suited for the Premier League.
Tuchel is looking to get the best out of them and it won’t happen overnight. Glimpses have been shown but with more match time we could see the form return for a long time.
Chelsea would be making a huge mistake giving up on Werner and Havertz after one season because they still can bounce back and be the players they were expected to be when they were bought.