Chelsea need to make headway under Enzo Maresca this season; if the Blues suffer a regression from last season's performances, the atmosphere could turn sour.
But rest assured, the Italian tactician has plenty of tactical intelligence and a slick and control-focused game that stems from his former tutor Pep Guardiola.
The scattergun approach to transfer dealings has been something of a mixed bag across the past few years, but the signing of Cole Palmer has been one of the finest pieces of business in Chelsea's history – is that fair to say?
Chelsea hit the jackpot with Cole Palmer
Palmer is as yet trophyless at Chelsea, but despite this, he's been an extraordinary addition to the side, a beacon of hope for supporters during a testing period in their club's storied history.
With 26 goals and 19 assists across just 50 appearances, the 22-year-old is fast establishing himself as one of football's foremost attacking players, hailed as "exceptionally talented" by presenter Gary Lineker.
Indeed, as per FBref, he currently ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for both goals and assists, the top 2% for shot-creating actions and the top 5% for progressive passes per 90.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent's goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
Signed from Manchester City for just £42.5m, Chelsea have paid a bargain fee for a talent who's on his way toward superstar status. However, he can't do it alone, and while the Blues have a rich and varied attacking line, there's one former star whose sale continues to be a rueful thing for the west Londoners.
His name is Kai Havertz.
Why Chelsea must rue selling Kai Havertz
When Chelsea sold Havertz to rivals Arsenal for a £65m fee last summer, many Premier League fans chuckled. Havertz is a player of unquestionable quality but he hadn't applied his dynamic and protean attacking threat with the desired consistency and fluency during his time at Chelsea.
That's evidenced through his strike record at Stamford Bridge, something that has been made all the most frustrating since hitting a rich vein of form under Mikel Arteta's wing last year and now sustaining his level, a crucial part of Arsenal's ongoing fight against Manchester City.
Chelsea signed Havertz from German side Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth £71m in 2020, when he was only 21 years old. The Germany international scored the winning goal in Chelsea's Champions League final showdown against Man City, immortalising his name somewhat, but his overall contribution was patchy, his prolificness leaving things to be desired.
Bayer Leverkusen
150
46
31
0.51
Chelsea
139
32
12
0.32
Arsenal
54
16
8
0.44
Germany
52
19
15
0.65
He was significantly less clinical at Chelsea than he has been elsewhere. Moreover, the 25-year-old has scored two goals and claimed one assist across his opening three matches of the 2024/25 campaign with the Gunners, carrying over his form from the second half of last season.
That form came as he was placed into a focal role at number nine after spending the lion's share of his early days at the Emirates in central midfield, repurposed as a mobile attacking midfielder.
Chelsea have an overload of attacking options but Havertz is now starting to show the level that the Blyes paid so much money for four years ago, and it's frustrating to watch him bloom at a rival such as Arsenal – who are chasing down the Premier League title besides.
And anyway, had they nurtured him closer toward his full potential, Chelsea could have cashed in for a profit, rather than suffering a slight loss.
As per Football Transfers' player valuation model, Havertz's value has skyrocketed since his sale just one year ago, now bearing a market price of £80m.
Remarkably, Football Transfers' number crunch puts him above any player in Maresca's Chelsea squad – and that includes Palmer, who is valued at £47m right now but, of course, is only going to see that figure balloon further over the coming years.
It also puts him above Enzo Fernandez, who joined Chelsea for a whopping £107m fee back in January 2023 after winning the 2022 World Cup with Argentina, but has since seen a depreciation to his name, worth just £42m at present, failing to capture the prodigious performances that prompted Clearlake and Todd Boehly to pay the staggering sum for his services.
This all goes to show that Chelsea, perhaps, ceded their ownership of the player right before hitting the goldmine that Arsenal have found, sculpting him into an offensive force to be reckoned with.
Havertz, to hammer the point home, ranks among the top 8% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 16% for passes attempted, the top 18% for shot-creating actions, the top 14% for progressive passes and the top 7% for tackles per 90, so you can really see how technically sharp and tenacious he is across the park.
Christopher Nkunku was his ostensible replacement, with the versatile Frenchman welcomed from RB Leipzig last June in a £52m deal, and though he's positionally flexible, electric and prolific, injuries have blighted his stay in the English capital, having scored five goals from a paltry 19 matches in just over a year, starting only three times in the Premier League.
Praised for his "sensational" performances by Arteta, Havertz is truly a manager's dream, and though he failed to bring it all together at Chelsea, his skillset could have been perfect for Maresca, and watching him thrive for Arsenal is a bitter pill to swallow.
Chelsea nearly signed world star for £0, now he's worth more than Palmer
The Blues fumbled the bag with this one…
ByAngus Sinclair Sep 9, 2024