Arsenal’s Kai Havertz has recently said that a player Chelsea got rid of in 2023 is one of the very best he’s ever played with.
Kai Havertz, 24, left Chelsea himself last summer to make a move across London.
He scored 32 goals in 139 games for the Blues, including the winner in a Champions League final. There was definitely a sense from supporters that he underwhelmed during three years at Stamford Bridge, though.
In fairness, the German attacker is enjoying a decent debut campaign in Arsenal colours.
Kai Havertz hails former Chelsea teammate
Interestingly, Havertz has named Jorginho as one of the very best individuals he’s played alongside. The duo were previously teammates together at Chelsea, plus they’re now working again in the same Arsenal team.
Jorginho switched blue for red six months earlier than Havertz, moving in the January window of 2023.
The £110,000-a-week midfielder (Spotrac) has continued to operate to a high standard at the top level.
He’s not the most athletic and at times wasn’t a fan favourite at Chelsea, but the deep-lying playmaker has a very high football IQ and superb passing range.
“Jorgi is a player who I feel like he looks at me or I look at him and we both know what is going to happen next. He’s one of the best players I’ve played with because he knows my movements, I know his passing and which ideas he has in his mind,” Havertz said via Arsenal’s official website.
“In general, the whole football industry is only interested in goals and assists but he’s a player who’s more on the other part of the pitch and not so much in the box. People speak more about players who score, assist and have goal contributions, but I think he’s one of those players who is the mind behind all of us. He sets the tone on the pitch and gives the rhythm. I think he was third in the Ballon D’Or so that shows everyone that he’s one of the greatest in his position.”
What Gianfranco Zola said in October was spot on
Speaking via The Times back in October, Gianfranco Zola admitted his shock that Chelsea sold the likes of Jorginho, Cesar Azpilicueta and Mateo Kovacic in a short space of time. He highlighted that the Blues got rid of so much experience at the same time.
In particular, Jorginho is a bit of an unsung hero for what he does on a football pitch.
The way the 32-year-old’s played for Arsenal since joining them, combined with Chelsea’s frailties, makes you think it was a mistake to sell him.