When he signed for Chelsea from Bayer Leverkusen for £72 million in 2020, Kai Havertz caused a lot of fanfare at Stamford Bridge.
The German had been lighting up the Bundesliga for a couple of seasons and was considered a hot commodity in European football.
However, despite scoring the winning goals in the Champions League and Club World Cup finals, Havertz never really took to life in west London and largely struggled in front of goal.
He was one of several first-team players to bite the bullet when Todd Boehly acquired the club from Roman Abramovich, being sold to Arsenal for £65m in the 2023 summer transfer window.
The consensus among football fans and pundits alike was that Chelsea were getting the better end of the deal, making a marginal £7m loss on a player who won them two major trophies in three years.
But that might not be the case, as Havertz is starting to prove himself in the opposite end of London and could be a key component to Mikel Arteta’s men finally dethroning Manchester City this season.
The 25-year-old scored a career-best 13 times in the Premier League last season, including two in a five-goal thrashing against his former side toward the end of the campaign.
With the Blues set to host the Gunners at Stamford Bridge in a fixture Arteta’s men are the favourites to win in the Chelsea v Arsenal odds, Havertz will be keen to make his presence felt at his ex-home.
Havertz’s name was often echoed around the Bridge to the tune of ‘Heaven Is a Place on Earth’, but there is certainly no love lost between the player and the Chelsea fans now.
The German celebrated his two goals against his former side at the Emirates, and would almost definitely take the opportunity to do the same in front of the Chelsea faithful if he gets the chance.
Havertz has already taken a swipe at his former side this month, claiming that it would mean more to him to win the Champions League with Arsenal than his victory with the Blues.
“It was a good moment for me in my career and something that I’m always going to think about,” the German said.
“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.”
With a fast start to the season, Chelsea fans will be watching nervously when Havertz gets the ball in and around the box—praying that he doesn’t find the back of the net again.
The 26-year-old has scored four times in seven Premier League games at the time of writing, including two in his last two outings against Leicester City and Southampton.
He’s also scored in the EFL Cup against Bolton Wanderers and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, bringing his tally for the season to six goals in 10 games across all competitions.
On current form, Havertz will be very well-backed to haunt Chelsea with a goal or two in the football betting markets.
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