Quick answer: No.
But read on if you want to find out more (or have nothing better to do this fine Sunday morning).
I keep seeing Arsenal fans dismiss the signing of Kai Havertz as us “not learning our lesson and signing another Chelsea reject”. This is simply not true.
Chelsea do not really want to sell Havertz (or Mason Mount), but they need to try and balance their books following what they have spent in the last 12 months.
With very few offers (if any?) coming in for fringe players, they are now being forced to sell some first team starters.
On Wednesday, the news firstly broke that Matteo Kovacic was off to Manchester City. Later in the day the Havertz news was broken. And then in the evening Mount to Manchester United speculation intensified.
Last season, no Chelsea player played more games than Kai Havertz.
Of the 50 games Chelsea played, Havertz played a part in 47 of them, starting 38. Only goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga played more minuted.
Arsenal have taken advantage of Chelsea’s financial predicament and signed one of their most important players.
Likewise, Manchester City have also taken advantage by securing Kovacic (5th most minutes played of all Chelsea outfield players).
Kovacic and Havertz are not players Chelsea wanted to sell. They are players that the situation meant they had to sell.
The issue with David Luiz, William Gallas, Willian and Petr Cech was not that they joined from Chelsea, but that they were all past their best when they signed.
Petr Cech: 33-years old
David Luiz: 32
Willian: 32
Gallas: 29
These were all players who had had their best days. Not a 24-year-old regular German international.
Havertz has not been left out of a German national team squad (bar injury or illness) since 2020.
Since making his international debut in 2018 he has:
- Played 38 games
- Been left on the bench 8 times
- Missed 11 games due to illness or injury
- Not been selected when fit on 1 occassion
So of the 47 games he was available for, he has played a part in 80% of them. He is certainly no re
A regular for club and country, he is certainly no reject.
The issue with Gallas, et al, is they were ageing former stars that Chelsea basically dumped on us as they had a clear out. We were lumbered with them.
Mikael Silvestre and Stephan Lichtsteiner were also in the same category (bar the Chelsea bit).
Havertz is clearly at a very different stage of his career in comparison to Silvestre, Lichsteiner, Luiz, Cech and Willian.
And let’s not pretend that Chelsea only ever let go of players that are coming to the end of their career.
This is the club who once had Mohamed Salah and Kevin de Bruyne on their books. Arguably the best two players in the Premier League over the last 5 or 6 years.
In 2013 they will deem a 26-year-old Juan Mata surplus to requirements. He would go on to play 285 times for Manchester United, nearly 200 of which were in the Premier League.
A year later, they would sell Romelu Lukaku to Everton.
Lukaku would score 177 goals in 324 gamesfor Everton, Manchester United and Inter Milan before he returned to Chelsea for £97.5million nearly a decade after he originally joined the club.
Havertz does not need to reach the level of de Bruyne or Salah to be a success.
If Havertz has the impact at Arsenal that Lukaku did at Everton, Inter and Man U, or that Mata did Man U, he will be a brilliant signing.
Chelsea did not want to sell Havertz but Arsenal have forced the issue. When was the last time we took a rivals top player?
The Arsenal are back…
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 
A pricey reject. Chelsea must still value him.
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The biggest difference between Havertz and the players mentioned is that he is a young reject.
He has consistently proven in the three years that he has been at Chelsea that he is simply not cut out for this league.
He is not a natural goal scorer, nor does he create much in the way of chances. Most importantly he lacks the one touch – one pass ability that others such as Saka and Odegaard have.
Arteta see’s something in him obviously but for me he lacks the skill and the heart to make much of an impact.
A bad signing..
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The reality is Havertz has played out of position since he arrived at Chelsea. Its not clear that this will change at Arsenal. Maybe Arteta has it all figured out but for me Havertz needs to be a 10 playing off a genuine centre forward, something Arsenal don’t have.
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