Frank Lampard has admitted his regret that Kai Havertz’s ‘best position wasn’t quite clear’ over the course of his mixed three-year spell at Chelsea.
The English manager signed the then 21-year-old in 2020 from Bayer Leverkusen for £67million and the German scored just nine goals in 48 matches in his first season.
He ended the campaign on a high, however, slotting home the winner in the Champions League final against Manchester City to give new boss Thomas Tuchel a taste of silverware in his first few months.
Havertz departed the Blues for Arsenal last summer having found the net 32 times across three seasons and has proved a hit at the Emirates, thriving in a new centre-forward position in a free-flowing Gunners side.
Now Lampard has revealed on Amazon Prime that he struggled to decide where to slot the talented German into his Chelsea team, and has heaped praise on current boss Mikel Arteta for ‘sticking with’ the player.
Frank Lampard has admitted that Kai Havertz ‘s ‘best position wasn’t quite clear’ in a mixed three-year spell at Chelsea
The English manager signed the then 21-year-old in 2020 from Bayer Leverkusen for £67million and the German scored just nine goals in 48 matches in his first season
Havertz departed the Blues for Arsenal last summer and has scored 18 goals including a strike against Leicester over the weekend
He said: ‘I brought him to Chelsea a good few years ago now, he was a young player.
‘I think when he came to Chelsea it wasn’t quite clear. He was a very talented player, his position wasn’t quite clear.
‘He’d been a No 8 more of a midfield player, he’d been a No 9 and we never got to the end of his story at the Chelsea. What was his best position?
‘The faith that Mikel Arteta has shown in him in bringing him to the club and the faith that he’s stuck with him… because I’ve got some Arsenal friends and when he first signed there were some question marks, like “what is he like?”
‘I said “no trust me he’s a talented boy, he will grow into the PL” and I think he’s done that. He’s a really relaxed lad, very easy going but I think there is a little streak beneath that where he wants to do well. He will be frustrated because he is just a boy who wants to do well.’
Havertz has experienced something of a renaissance at the Emirates, already scoring 18 goals in just over one season, including four in eight so far this campaign.
His 99th minute strike against Leicester City on Saturday helped his side secure a 4-2 win after the Foxes had given the home fans a fright, drawing the game back to 2-2 in a tense second half.
Lampard was speaking ahead of the Gunners’ Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain and, in the build-up to the tie, Havertz admitted winning the trophy with his new club would be even more special than his first success.
‘It’s a nice feeling but it would be even nicer if I can do it with Arsenal and it would mean a lot more,’ he said. ‘I help where I can but it was three or four years ago that I won it, so a long time ago, so I think I have to prove myself again in the dressing room.’
Havertz admitted winning the trophy with his new club would be even more special than his first success with the Blues
Lampard was dismissed as Blues boss in January 2021 before returning in 2023 for another unsuccessful spell
The Englishman is the club’s all-time top scorer with a whopping 211 goals in all competitions
Lampard, who is Chelsea’s all-time top scorer with a whopping 211 goals, was dismissed as Blues boss in January 2021 after a run of just two in eight games as the club found itself ninth in the Premier League.
After a year out of the game, the English manager accepted the Everton job and helped the side stay in the top flight on the last game of the season. He was sacked in January 2023 with the Toffees struggling in 19th place.
A return to Chelsea after the dismissal of Graham Potter saw Lampard drag the Blues into the bottom half of the table, winning just one of his 11 games at the helm.