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Kai Havertz opens up on ‘pressure’ of mega money move to Chelsea.
Kai Havertz has spoken out about his £75.8 million move to Chelsea in 2020, saying that he felt ‘pressured’ because of the large cost.
Since making the high-profile transfer to Stamford Bridge, Havertz has been a mainstay of the Chelsea first team. Although his statistics at the club haven’t been spectacular, many fans feel that his UEFA Champions League-winning goal against Manchester City in his debut season more than justified his transfer fee.
The German international spoke with the Guardian about the reasons behind the switch and his debut campaign with the Blues.
Havertz pointed to his relationship with Jorginho and how he was surprised by his January move to Arsenal, recalling: “He calls me one evening and says: ‘I’m gone.’ I was like: ‘What the? How is this possible?’
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“This is how quick things change. It’s a human thing. You just have to accept it, it’s football. It’s my sixth year as a professional and my seventh coach: in Germany I had four or five and it’s three at Chelsea. A dozen players arrived since the summer; it’s not easy. Enzo [Fernandez] and [Mykhailo] Mudryk have come for a lot of money and they’re only [22], you know? You cannot expect them to be Neymar straight away. It’s like me: it takes time.
“For me the price was a big thing. I was Chelsea’s most expensive player. I don’t understand how so much money is paid but it is normal in football: look at our recent transfers. That brings pressure because people think you are Messi. I was still 20, 21.
“People don’t see that; they see the price so you have to be great from day one. You can feel it, the tension. You read it, hear it.”
This Saturday, Havertz will be hoping to play for Chelsea again when they take on Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.