Havertz has developed into a new type of forward at Chelsea - making him invaluable to Potter

Despite the remarkable number of new forward players that have joined the club this season, Chelsea manager Graham Potter was ultimately forced to rely on a player he inherited from his predecessor to stick the ball into the back of the net on Sunday as the Stamford Bridge side claimed a hard-fought 1-0 win over Crystal Palace. 

Despite both sides coming extremely close to scoring throughout the match, it was Chelsea star Kai Havertz that broke the deadlock shortly after the hour mark, when a hopeful cross from Hakim Ziyech found the Germany international in the air and duly allowed the forward to head the ball into the bottom left corner. And, intriguingly enough, it was a welcomed and somewhat familiar site for the home fans. 

From playmaker to target man - Havertz develops new role at Chelsea

Not only is Havertz now the joint top goalscorer in Potter’s side - level with Raheem Sterling on six goals - but the German talent has undoubtedly adapted his game in recent seasons to become a more direct goal threat. Sunday’s goal was Havertz’s third head goal of the season, meaning that exactly 50% of his goals in all competitions have come from his head and in the opposing box. 

When we consider how many headed goals Havertz used to score for Bayer Leverkusen - as shown by the graphic above - we can clearly see that the young forward has gone from being an attacking midfielder in the Bundesliga to something of a targetman for Chelsea. And in the process made himself rather valuable and unique in Potter’s side. 

€161m spent on new forwards - so which Chelsea stars will be sold?

Indeed, under new owner Todd Boehly Chelsea have spent a remarkable €426 million on new players and no less than €161.2m of that was used to sign five forward players - including a €11m fee to loan João Félix from Atlético Madrid for the remainder of the season and the most recent €70m signing of Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk. Which, in turn, could spell the end for a number of Chelsea’s existing forward players. 

Ziyech and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have been edging towards the exit door for some time now, rumours are now suggesting Sterling may be sold at the end of the season and Christian Pulisic may find his spot in the team under threat when he returns from injury. But in Havertz, Chelsea have no other player that can play the No.9 role quite as well as him. And thanks to his new style of play, the German international may yet survive this truly turbulent season at Stamford Bridge.  

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