N’Golo Kante had plenty of kind words to say about Kai Havertz despite his ongoing troubles after signing for Chelsea last summer, speaking on the official club website.
Havertz’s struggles throughout his brief Blues career have been extremely well documented.
His short spell at Stamford Bridge has been separated by injuries, contracting covid, and witnessing a managerial takeover.
All of this whilst trying to balance a completely new way of life away from the football pitch.
But there is a reason why Chelsea splashed out £71m (BBC Sport) to buy him from Bayer Leverkusen.
He does possess the ability to be a world-class player, as proved by his time in Germany.
Kante clearly saw this as well and had nothing but praise for his 21-year-old teammate.
“He has a good talent – good with the ball, calm and he has the ability to make a good last decision in the opponent’s half or box,” said the French midfield on Havertz.
“He’s a reliable player for us because we can fund him and use his speed and his technique.
“Obviously he’s young and he was a bit injured recently but he always stays positive and keeps a good work ethic.
“It’s good to have him in the squad and I’m sure that he will do well in the future.”
There is a feeling Thomas Tuchel may be able to succeed where Frank Lampard failed when Havertz is concerned.
Lampard failed to discover a suitable role for the mercurial talent and was probably guilty of trialling him in too many different positions.
Tuchel seems to have a clear idea of the system he wants to play and the individuals he wants to use in it.
In the 3-4-2-1 formation, two attacking midfielders are required to feature behind a striker.
Havertz could easily feature in any of these forward options. Tuchel will hope it won’t be too long before he can test that theory.
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