Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Kai Havertz questions Todd Boehly decision to axe Thomas Tuchel but reveals early Graham Potter impression

Thomas Tuchel, Kai Havertz Chelsea

Kai Havertz has questioned Todd Boehly’s decision to end Thomas Tuchel’s stay at Chelsea and accused the club’s new owner of acting too quickly.

Roman Abramovich’s successor allowed Tuchel to bring in a number of high-profile signings over the summer, while several high-profile Chelsea players also left in a squad rebuild at Stamford Bridge.

However, the Blues struggled for any consistency at the start of the new campaign. And that ended up costing the German his job, following shock defeats to the likes of Leeds, Southampton and Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.

The result in Europe proved to be Tuchel’s last outing as Chelsea manager, with Graham Potter brought in to replace him.

There were reports that Tuchel and Boehly did not see eye-to-eye over the summer. That, in turn, eventually led to the former PSG boss being shown the door.

Havertz enjoyed his best spell as a Chelsea player under his compatriot. Indeed, the Germany international scored the goals that won the Blues the Champions League and Club World Cup.

And Havertz has revealed his complete shock at Tuchel being sacked.

Speaking ahead of Germany’s upcoming Nations League games, Havertz was asked about the surprise nature of the decision, saying: “Me too (it surprised me). Especially when you consider how we’ve played in the past year and a half and what we’ve won.

“With the current sixth place in the table, you can’t speak of a messed up start to the season, especially since we have many newcomers who first have to acclimatize But football is very fast-moving, a lot can happen at any time.

“Our new coach has made a very good impression, we have a great squad. I think we are in for a good time.”

Havertz role could change under Potter

At this stage, it’s unclear where Havertz will line up under Potter. Indeed, there have even been rumours of him potentially joining Bayern Munich in 2023.

The 23-year-old was often used as ‘false nine’ last season. However, the arrival of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on transfer deadline day could see another change of role for Havertz.

He added: “Of course it’s a bit harder for me in the ten because I’ve actually only played centre forward at Chelsea for the past year and a half and those are two completely different roles.

“My position is not that important. Whether I play on the ten, on the nine or on the right side, I want to help the team. And justify the coach’s trust.

“I can put myself in any position.”

Havertz and Chelsea are back in Premier League action on October 1 when they take on London rivals Crystal Palace.

The Blues are currently seventh in the table with 10 points from their first six games. However, their last two Premier League outings were postponed following the death of the Queen.

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