The manager of Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel has stressed that the club’s attacking midfielder, Kai Havertz, is not the same as the club’s former striker, Diego Costa.
Diego Costa left Atletico Madrid on July 1, 2014, to join Chelsea for a transfer fee worth €38 million. He played for Chelsea between 2014 and 2017 before he returned to Atletico Madrid for €60 million on January 1, 2018.
Before Diego Costa left Chelsea, the 32-year-old Spanish striker scored 58 goals and provided 24 assists in 120 games. He helped the club to win two Premier League titles and one Football league cup. He was known for his power on the ball and how one could easily notice his impact on the team.
The return of Costa to Atletico Madrid did not pan out well for the Spaniard as he is currently without a club after spending less than three years at the Spanish side. However, his contribution to Chelsea’s squad while he was in the Premier League can not be wished away.
Hence, after the astounding performance Kai Havertz showcased on Saturday, April 10, in the Premier League game against Crystal Palace in which the 21-year-old German attacking midfielder scored a goal and provided an assist, some pundits began to compare him to Costa.
Kai Havertz who made an €80 million move from German Bundesliga club, Bayern Leverkusen to Chelsea on September 4, 2020, has been having a very tough time which makes most critics argue that the youngster was overpriced.
The critics of the footballer also argue that the footballer has not been giving enough to the team whenever he is given the chance to play. However, coach Tuchel said the youngster’s effort is being misjudged due to his quiet body language.
“He is not a Diego Costa kind of guy, this is simple and I will never demand he will become this”, Tuchel said.
“Sometimes you cannot confuse with his body language that he does not give everything. He is a very quiet character but he is very well aware of his quality. I can just repeat he stepped up.
“He changes clubs from Leverkusen to Chelsea, a club where you need to win games and perform and everyone expects this, so I am very happy because he stepped clearly out of his comfort zone and he is ready to show it.
“What we can demand from him is quality and this is how he can help the team and become an important player if he can show this regularly and show he is involved in the games and show his quality on the pitch.”
Great win from the team 💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/MWJmIUQ33i
— Kai Havertz (@kaihavertz29) April 10, 2021
Kai Havertz is expected to repeat the performance he displayed against Crystal Palace when he is featured against Porto on Tuesday, April 13. Chelsea might count on him to help the team to complete the job the club started on April 7.
Recall that Chelsea defeated Porto 2-0 away from home and Kai Havertz was used in the game as a striker but didn’t score any goal. Ahead of the return leg, coach Tuchel stressed that the German youngster has the opportunity to show his quality.
“It is up to him to show the quality”, Tuchel said. “He has shown already very strong performance against Everton and Atletico. For us, he had a tough match against Porto and the speech was very easy; go and show you can do better and fight for your place. You get a second chance and he did that.
“He can be even more ruthless in finishing because he has the extra quality and I want him to show that quality. He doesn’t have to be our emotional leader because he is not that guy and it is not necessary.
“But in terms of controlling the ball, keeping it in difficult situations, having little runs, being in high positions, and doing good finishing and assisting: this is what we demand. He needs to show up and show up. This is life as an offensive player at Chelsea.”
