Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard has addressed comparisons between himself and Kai Havertz and highlighted the key differences in their styles of play.
Chelsea wrapped up the signing of Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial £70 million ($91m) fee on September 4, bringing to an end one of the year's longest-running transfer sagas.
The 21-year-old had also been linked with the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United, but Lampard convinced the playmaker that Stamford Bridge was the best place for him to continue his development.
Havertz proved himself as a versatile performer capable of playing on the wings, as a false nine or as an orthodox attacking midfielder at Bay Arena, recording 46 goals and 31 assists across 150 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit.
Lampard was also known for his outstanding contribution in the final third at the height of his playing career, and the ex-Leverkusen star has been tipped to follow in his footsteps over the next five years.
Similarities have also been drawn between Havertz and former Germany and Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack, but the current Blues boss is expecting the club's newest signing to carve out his own unique reputation.
“It is very easy to make those comparisons,” Lampard told the club's official website. “I know he is hungry to score goals and make assists so I have already had those conversations with him, but I do think we are quite different in our styles.
“Kai can probably start in more forward areas than I started in. I liked to come from deep as a midfield player, and a lot of Kai’s really good play in the last few seasons as he has broken through at Leverkusen has been in a slightly advanced no.10 role, or slightly wider areas or more in a striker kind of area of late.
“So I think there are differences in our game and styles but in terms of what we try to bring to the team, it is pretty similar in terms of productivity in goals and assists.
“Michael Ballack was a good player for us in terms of what he contributed and we have all got really good memories of Bally when he was at the club and what he did for us, but Kai is going to be his own player and his own person.
“He has his own style and he is very unique in terms of that, which really excites me to work with him, in terms of him going forward.”
The iconic former Blues star says Havertz has made a very positive first impression at the Bridge, and is confident he will go onto achieve great success with the club due to his ambitious mindset.
“On his personality, I have been absolutely overwhelmed with how humble and down to earth he is, and how well he wants to do here, and how he is very excited with the challenge,” said Lampard.
“He wants to come here and be a top player for Chelsea, and really prove his talents on this stage.
“That, to me, has been one of the most exciting things, not just to be excited about him arriving as a top talent, but to see his mentality as he has come in. That gives a really good feeling about how his career is going to be at Chelsea.”
The 42-year-old head coach concluded by urging supporters to be patient with the most expensive player in the club's history, adding: “We also have to understand that he is a fantastic young talent but we must give him time to let him settle and let those talents come through.”