Dean Jones admitted that the transfer of Kai Havertz to Chelsea was a board decision rather than coming straight from Frank Lampard.
Appearing on the Si Philips Talks Chelsea podcast, Jones explained that the outcome over one or two deals was not down to Lampard.
When asked about the split of signings between the Chelsea hierarchy and their manager, he said: “Lampard knew they needed to strengthen in certain positions.
“Obviously, there was some that he was more involved in than others. I think Havertz was probably one that was more sprung on him.”
It must’ve been one hell of a surprise when Lampard saw the £71m (BBC Sport) price tag that Bayer Leverkusen set upon the young midfielder.
Chelsea did indeed pay up. However, the lucrative sum has not yet been reflected in his performances.
Havertz arrived with the weight of being Germany’s next big thing and rightly so. He scored 18 goals and assisted a further nine during his farewell season at Leverkusen.
Jones claimed that Lampard won’t have known about this impressive record, believing that the Chelsea boss wouldn’t have paid much attention to their neighbouring European leagues.
“I don’t think Lampard had probably watched much of Kai Havertz to be honest,” he added. “I don’t think he’s going over to watch every game in the Bundesliga.”
Havertz was one of seven signed last year, taking Chelsea’s spending to over £200m (BBC Sport). But how many can Lampard claim as his own acquisitions?
The Chelsea Chronicle View
Perhaps the same story goes for Havertz’s fellow countryman Timo Werner, who also set alight his homeland with an outlandish scoring record before joining the Blues.
He has also failed to live up to his expensive valuation. Was Lampard unaware of his ability also?
Chelsea has been linked to more players from the German first division, including Erling Haaland, David Alaba, and Dayot Upamencano. Which, if any, are under Lampard’s supervision is another speculation.