Chelsea through the years have been seen as a ruthless club, discarding both players and managers if things aren’t going their way.
A relentless pursuit for success has its casualties; youth players being sold, club legends being phased out, and elite managers having their time cut short. Chelsea would do whatever was necessary to chase instant success in the past, even if it led to some uncomfortable conversations and decisions.
This was a successful method for the Blues over the years, winning five Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, and five FA Cups, along with two Europa League trophies, and three League Cups.
That said, they’ve not always got it right in the transfer market. Current Arsenal star Kai Havertz is a fine example of that.
Kai Havertz at Chelsea
Chelsea signed Havertz in the summer transfer window during 2020 under then-manager Frank Lampard at the time. Havertz cost Chelsea around £71m and in the process became their second most expensive signing ever behind Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Havertz made 139 appearances for the Blues in all competitions, scoring 32 goals, providing 12 assists, and totaling 9,022 minutes played.
This includes scoring one of the biggest goals in Chelsea’s history, with the only goal in the 2021 Champions League final, in which the Blues were victorious, beating Manchester City 1-0.
However, as time went on, the London outfit struggled to find the goals upfront, with Havertz being used more often as a number nine than a midfielder under Thomas Tuchel, which saw the German leave for Arsenal in 2023 for a fee of around £65m, allowing Chelsea to recoup most of what they spent on the German.
Other midfielders signed in the following years, including Atletico Madrid loanee and then World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez.
Saul struggled for game time while Fernandez has at least become a regular. That said, at a similar time they could have brought one of the game’s global superstars to the Bridge.
When Chelsea tried to sign Jude Bellingham
According to talkSPORT, Chelsea worked ‘tirelessly’ to try and tempt Jude Bellingham away from Birmingham way back when most of England’s top clubs were ready to fight for the young midfielder.
Despite putting in lots of background work, Dortmund signed Bellingham for around £25m in 2020, Chelsea then moving onto Havertz and acquired him instead.
Bellingham is regarded as one of the best players in world football now, having moved from Dortmund to Real Madrid last summer, for a whopping £88.5m initial fee, with huge add-ons, which could see the deal become worth £115m. So staggering has the English talent been in Madrid that his market value has now increased to a remarkable £152m, as per Transfermarkt.
Comparing the seasons of both players for the 2020/21 campaign, it is important to note that Bellingham was only 17 years old at this point but he still put up some phenomenal numbers, and as we all know, he has now become a truly special player.
Goals
0.13
0.35
Assists
0.13
0.24
Progressive Carries
1.32
3.01
Progressive Passes
4.87
4.41
Shots Total
1.57
1.94
Passes into Final Third
4.15
2.15
Shot-Creating Actions
2.08
3.01
Tackles
2.75
1.37
Blocks
2.11
1.29
Interceptions
1.18
0.52
Back in 2020, Bellingham was in a more box-to-box role, compared to Havertz who was more of an attacking midfielder.
You can see their different qualities and roles, with the English superstar averaging better passing metrics, due to his deeper positioning and responsibility to progress the ball, as well as his extra defensive responsibilities, averaging more tackles, blocks and interceptions per 90 minutes.
Havertz had more G/A output, boasting a higher shot volume and a better progressive carry rate at the time but Bellingham has now morphed into a complete midfielder over the years, learning to use his body even better, increasing his carrying capabilities to the highest level.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
He is a brilliant asset for duels due to his height and frame, but also adding more goals and assists, having scored 23 goals and provided 13 assists for Madrid last season. If Chelsea had gone all in for Bellingham, things could be very different now, that’s for sure.
Lukaku arrived instead: Tuchel wanted Chelsea to sign star now worth £152m
It’s safe to say the club made a huge error in not securing a move for the talent.
ByEthan LambSep 18, 2024