Pat Nevin predicted that Kai Havertz was on his way to achieving greatness with Chelsea and becoming one of the game’s modern icons.
Speaking to Alex Goldberg, Nevin couldn’t contain his compliments when talking about Havertz.
Havertz high and Havertz low
It’s been a bumpy journey for the 21-year-old following his club record arrival from Bayer Leverkusen last summer.
A hattrick against Barnsley in the League Cup gave Blues fans plenty of optimism that they had just signed Germany’s golden boy.
But the goals dried up, as did the performances, which weren’t helped when he unfortunately contracted coronavirus in November.
Frank Lampard was unable to unlock the full potential buried beneath the surface inside Havertz.
Thomas Tuchel took over and things began to look up for the young maestro.
His debut season was wrapped in perfect circumstances, scoring Chelsea’s winner in the Champions League final.
Nevin in the know
With Havertz now stamping his mark at club level, Nevin thought continental domination wouldn’t be too far behind.
The former Blues winger said: “I do think Kai Havertz will be one of the most important players, I was going to say Chelsea’s history, but I think he’ll be an important player on the world stage from here on in.
“It’s not because he scored a goal in the Champions League final.
“It’s because he is now looking like the most elegant player walking this planet at the minute. He is very special.”
From one tournament to another
Moments like the one conjured up in the European finale is the reason why Chelsea paid big bucks for the Bundesliga ex-pat.
Its just a shame from a Stamford Bridge point that Havertz couldn’t maintain his elite levels across the entire campaign.
But his mini purple patch has come at just the right time, as Germany gear up for their European Championship adventure.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
