Chelsea boss Frank Lampard insists he knows Kai Havertz’s best position and that his role in the side will become clear when he reaches full fitness following the £89million man’s slow start to life in the Premier League.
Havertz played wide on the right on his debut against Brighton and was then used centrally in the 2-0 defeat against Liverpool before being hauled off at half-time as Lampard brought on a defender following Andreas Christensen’s red card.
Jamie Carragher questioned how the club’s record signing fits into Chelsea’s system after his low-key displays.
But Lampard – who was determined to land Havertz this summer – has no doubts about the 21-year-old’s role in his team.
He told a press conference on Tuesday: ‘Kai has played various positions in career, as number nine, number eight and a number 10.
‘He played lots off the right for Leverkusen and I have my own vision going forward.
‘The key now is getting him fit.
‘Kai, with the situation we are in we aren’t in a position where we can wait. We need to get him fit, and it’ll become very clear why he’s here.’
Chelsea have attacking quality in abundance with summer arrivals Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic all capable of playing in various positions across a front three.
And former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher admitted he is unsure how Lampard could best utilise Havertz after watching him against Liverpool.
‘I do look and think, “where does Havertz play? Where does he fit into a 4-3-3?” he said on Sky Sports.
‘He almost looks like a No 10 and we don’t see them as much in football now. Where he played today, I don’t think that suited Chelsea.’
Havertz has played on the right wing in both of his Premier League matches as a Chelsea player even though he earned his big-money move after impressing through the middle in Germany.
He scored 38 goals in 87 matches for Leverkusen and mainly played as either a centre-forward or an attacking midfielder, also known as ‘No 10’.
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