Kai Havertz has explained that he likes playing for Chelsea in a false nine position.
Havertz, who earns £140,000-a-week (Spotrac), is a versatile attacker who’s had a first season in English football that has been firmly under the microscope.
The general opinion is that the 21-year-old left-footer has underperformed, as he was one of the stars of the German Bundesliga last year that was expected to light up the Premier League from day one.
However, he’s still got a respectable goal contribution return during his first Blues season, albeit the best should still be just around the corner for him.
He’s scored eight goals and supplied nine assists in 43 Chelsea appearances to date.
Havertz has played several different roles throughout the season, under both Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel, but his best position has been a slight mystery for supporters.
It looks like though current manager Tuchel prefers him as the central striker, with two busy number 10s working off him.
The Germany international agrees that it’s a forward position he feels comfortable in on the pitch:
“I would call it maybe a false nine,” Havertz told Sky Sports.
“I’m not the big guy in the middle like some strikers. I play the position a little bit different. That’s why it’s good we have a lot of quality players up front next to me, and it’s always easy to play with them.
“For me it’s a good position and I like it. I feel very comfortable there.
“I always like to go into the spaces and get the ball there and I like to play up front near to the goal, that’s also very good for me, so all in all I think I like the position and it suits me.”
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Chelsea fans can see that Havertz is blessed with incredible individual talent, something he shows off with some of the neat touches and movement he produces on the pitch.
It’s noticeable that he’s not quite been at his very best yet, but the first year in a foreign country can be difficult for some to adjust.
The youngster could still write his name into Chelsea history books if he gets the opportunity to play in next weekend’s Champions League final with Manchester City, and there is every chance he proves a lot of doubters wrong next season.
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