Liverpool accomplished what Chelsea couldn’t following $93m transfer with next Roberto Firmino going to waste
Kai Havertz’s future at Chelsea is currently uncertain, despite his status as one of the most promising young players in the world upon his signing in the summer of 2020.
According to Florian Plettenberg of Sky Germany, the 23-year-old attacker is uncertain about the state of the squad at Stamford Bridge, and given that the Blues are unlikely to qualify for the Champions League next season, he could leave in the summer.
Havertz, who was just 21 years old when he arrived at Bayer Leverkusen, quickly established himself as a versatile and relatively singular offensive option.
Havertz exhibited characteristics of a false nine. During his time in the Bundesliga, he demonstrated a high level of comfort when dropping into deeper areas to receive the ball when under pressure, and he scored 36 goals in the German top flight before making his high-profile move to England.
Havertz, despite his youth, was establishing himself as the closest player on the market to Roberto Firmino, who was thriving at Liverpool as the ultimate version of his kind, dropping into midfield areas and generally displaying actions that contradicted the number on the back of his jersey.
Under Jürgen Klopp, the Brazilian had developed into the game’s best false nine. In fact, the manager of the Reds suggested that one day books would be written about his interpretation of the role.
The German once described Firmino as his team’s ‘connector’. “Scoring was always important but Bobby is the complete footballer,” he once said. “A football team is like an orchestra, to play we need to have people for different instruments, and Bobby plays like 12 instruments in our orchestra. He is incredibly important for our rhythm.”
The vast majority of strikers tend to stay in the penalty box and solely focus on scoring goals. Firmino defied the stereotype of these players, who are typically viewed as quite self-centered and rarely engage in constructing moves.
Klopp maximized the South American’s abilities by playing Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané, two fast wide forwards who provided the penetration that Firmino lacked, on either side of him.
As a group, they reached the pinnacle of the sport during their respective primes, bringing the Premier League and Champions League trophies to Anfield, in addition to numerous other trophies.
Havertz was once linked with a transfer to Liverpool, primarily due to his suitability for Firmino’s role — perhaps as an heir to his throne — but Chelsea swooped in and snatched him up.
Since then, they have been unable to replicate the same dynamic that Klopp created at Anfield, pairing Havertz with a variety of attackers including Mason Mount, Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, and Raheem Sterling.
Each of his Blues teammates possessed quality, but neither Salah nor Mané improved Firmino’s performance as much as they did. Therefore, despite costing $93 million (£75 million/€85 million), Havertz is not considered a true star at Stamford Bridge.
If the German international departs in the summer, he will have spent three years in the Premier League without making a significant impact. The most goals he’s scored in a single English Premier League season is eight, and he’s only recorded three assists.
Havertz’s future is uncertain, but it is reasonable to assume that his career would have taken a different path if he had joined Liverpool instead of Chelsea.
Liverpool accomplished what Chelsea couldn’t following $93m transfer with next Roberto Firmino going to waste
