Chelsea's list of marquee signings over the past two decades is almost endless, but few generated the same level of excitement among the club's fanbase as Kai Havertz. The Blues fought off competition from Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to sign the forward for £72 million in 2020, and he was backed to make a huge impact in the Premier League.
"He is the next big, big player to come from Germany," Havertz's Bayer Leverkusen team-mate Roberto Hilbert said just before his exit. "He has some things [Michael] Ballack had, some things [Mesut] Ozil had, but he puts it into one package, which makes him so dangerous. I think he has a level of talent that nobody else has."
The 21-year-old was even being billed as a future Ballon d'Or winner in some circles, but it wasn't immediately clear how he would figure into Frank Lampard's plans. "I’ve loved him for a long time as a player. His style is very unique," the then-Chelsea manager said of Havertz at his unveiling.
The Germany international showed flashes of brilliance in his first few months at Stamford Bridge, but he couldn't prevent Chelsea from falling way off the pace in the Premier League. Lampard was sacked in January 2021, just five months after Havertz's arrival, with former Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel drafted in as his replacement.
The Blues instantly improved under Tuchel, and finished the season with an unlikely Champions League crown as Havertz scored the winning goal in the final against Manchester City, showing great composure to finish after being played through by Mason Mount, and a new Chelsea hero was born.
Unfortunately, that's as good as it ever got for Havertz in west London. He is destined to leave Chelsea with a modest total of 32 goals to his name from 139 appearances, with Arsenal having sealed a £65m transfer for the languid German.
Lampard, Tuchel and Graham Potter all failed to bring the best out of Havertz, who struggled for consistency in a variety of different systems. But Mikel Arteta believes he can succeed where they failed.
So how exactly will he fit in at Arsenal? GOAL takes a look...
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