Havertz is not the key signing Chelsea need to make.
Chelsea losing 3-2 at West Ham United on Wednesday was a clear indication of where their biggest problem lies, and signing Kai Havertz has nothing to do with it.
If reports are to be believed, manager Frank Lampard is going all out to bring the young German to West London, with the club willing to spend at least £80m to secure his signature. That money can, and must, be put to better use by fixing the one gaping hole in Chelsea’s team: the defence.
Why defence is Chelsea’s biggest issue
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Conceding three goals against a relegation candidate is simply not good enough for a side that has hopes of challenging for the title next season, especially when you consider the nature of these goals.
The first was a corner kick that was needlessly and carelessly given away by Antonio Rudiger, which led to West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek beating Blues captain Cesar Azpilicueta in the air.
Soucek’s soft header should still have made for a relatively simple save, but Kepa Arrizabalaga was caught in no man’s land after a failed attempt to claim the cross.
Tammy Abraham was also on the goalline but somehow managed to comically fall and make zero contact with a ball that was headed straight to him.
This goal showed the Blues’ deficiency when dealing with set-piece situations, which has been the story all season long.
The second goal highlighted Andreas Christensen‘s lack of positional awareness. The young Dane was caught ball watching for an entire play as a cross went right to where he should’ve been standing and Michail Antonio scored the tap-in.
Instead, Christensen was at least two or three yards ahead of the play in a rather clueless manner, and the last-minute winner did not cover him in glory either.
The ball was played into Antonio, who was allowed to take a touch and lay it off to a teammate. Instead of retreating to his position, Christensen decided to chase the ball, but then stopped midway, rendering him utterly useless as the ball went back to Antonio.
The West Ham forward then released Andriy Yarmolenko in behind, who was 1 on 1 with Rudiger. Instead of cutting off his option to cut inside onto his left foot, Rudiger decided to show him inside, giving Yarmolenko a relatively easy finish on his strong foot past a helpless Kepa.
Of course, the fullbacks were nowhere to be found, with Marcos Alonso being so far up the field that he hadn’t even reached the penalty area when the ball was in the back of the net.
A total failure from Chelsea’s defence led to them giving up valuable points in the top-four race. They could’ve been third, and five points clear of fifth, but now they are fourth with only a two-point cushion.
The rest of the team played well enough to merit a win, but they were once again let down by their back four. If this club wants to be a title challenger, the problem needs to be fixed, and it needs to happen now.
Why a team’s defence is crucial to a title challenge
The reason Liverpool were so dominant this year on their way to the Premier League title is that they had a rock-solid defence to go along with their superb forward play.
By contrast, Manchester City shipped in many more goals this time around, which is why their points total dropped off so much compared to last season.
But Liverpool wasn’t always like this. Three years ago, their defence was also their weakest point, and they were in a similar position to where Chelsea is now, finishing in and around the top-four without really challenging the top two.
That all changed, though, when they bought Virgil Van Dijk. The Dutchman completely turned Liverpool around defensively and set them on the path to the European and league champions they are today.
He brought stability to the team, and he brought a dominant presence to their backline, something every champion needs.
Chelsea does not have that at the moment. Even Rudiger, who is their best defender, was turned inside out by Yarmolenko in a critical moment of the game on Wednesday.
While he can be a starter for the Blues, he cannot be the dominant central defender they depend on. It has to come from somewhere else, which is where Lampard comes in, as well as owner Roman Abramovich.
What is the solution?
They need to do whatever it takes to sign a world-class centre-back this summer; only this has the potential to turn their fortunes around.
It may not be cheap, mind you; Liverpool paid £75m for Van Dijk, and Manchester United paid even more for Harry Maguire, but it is completely worth it.
Havertz is not needed at the moment. Chelsea has plenty of quality midfield options, and they also have Hakim Ziyech arriving shortly. If Lampard has £80m to spend on him, he can spend the same money on a centre-back.
An example of who the Blues could sign is Kalidou Koulibaly. The Senegalese international has everything Chelsea needs to get back on track defensively.
As well as being a dominant presence, he is calm and composed, an excellent tackler, and does not lack pace either. He’d be a wonderful addition to the side.
He may be 29, but centre-backs are at the top of their game well into their 30s- look at Chelsea’s very own captain John Terry playing every minute of a title-winning 2014/15 season at 35.
He may be expensive, but if he could fix the one main issue that has plagued Stamford Bridge all season, it would be justified and then some.
If Koulibaly fails, there are other options, such as West Ham’s own Declan Rice, a former Chelsea academy player, who had a stormer of a game against his former team.
Bayern Munich’s David Alaba is also an option, an extremely versatile player who can play anywhere from centre-back to attacking midfield, as well as Dayot Upamecano and Alessio Romagnoli, both top-class talents.
Lampard must prioritize one of these players over Havertz and anyone else, including Ben Chilwell, who Chelsea have also, rightly, been looking into.
Alonso’s showing against West Ham shows Chelsea are certainly in need of a new left-back, but Leicester City is asking for £80m, an unreasonable fee when Porto’s Alex Telles is available for just £25m.
By saving this money, the Blues boss can truly go after one of these centre-backs, and hopefully, use the same pulling power he used to attract Ziyech and Timo Werner to land one of these top talents.
If there is still money left over after the defence has been sorted, a move for Havertz would be smart. But fixing the backline has to undoubtedly be priority number one.
With the dynamic, potent, and explosive attacking options available at Lampard’s disposal, if that can be combined with a reliable defence, the sky is the limit for Chelsea Football Club.