Real Madrid ‘dodged a bullet’ over €70m Chelsea transfer
Robin Bairner
- 23 Sept 2023 12:33 BST
- 4 min read
Real Madrid “dodged a bullet” in the summer transfer market when Kai Havertz moved to Arsenal from Chelsea, the Spanish club have been told.
Los Blancos were one of the clubs who were interested in the Germany international in the summer but ultimately they elected not to make a move over the €70 million transfer fee the Stamford Bridge side were asking for.
Instead, Havertz moved to Arsenal, where he has played seven times but has yet to record either a goal or an assist in 500 minutes of competitive football.
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AS reports that Real Madrid “dodged a bullet” over the player, who has attracted severe criticism in England over his performances.
“Not all of Arsenal’s spending makes sense to me. They’ve laid out £65million on Kai Havertz. Surely you’re not spending that kind of money on what he’s shown at Chelsea in the past three seasons?” Liverpool legend Graeme Souness, who is also a respected pundit, wrote for the Daily Mail.
“How many games has he played and how many goals has he scored? Havertz has scored 19 Premier League goals in three seasons with Chelsea. Why have they paid so much money for a player who has scored so few goals in his time with Chelsea? Please draw your own conclusions.
“They’ve shelled out in the hope that Mikel Arteta can get a very, very different tune out of him than Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel or Graham Potter ever did. Good luck with that one, Mikel.”
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How Real Madrid planned to use Havertz
Havertz was eyed by Real Madrid as a central attack capable of playing either behind a No.9 or filling that role himself.
It was at the forefront of the attack that he was often used by Chelsea, and there he recorded a disappointing 32 goals and 15 assists over the course of 139 appearances for the club.
At Arsenal, he is being used in a slightly deeper role and retains the faith of manager Mikel Arteta despite his disappointing return.
