Frank Lampard admits he regrets Kai Havertz’s time at Chelsea – as the former Blues boss reveals the riddle he couldn’t solve for the Arsenal star

Frank Lampard has admitted his regrets that Kai Havertz’s ‘best position was not entirely clear’ during his mixed three-year spell at Chelsea.

The England manager signed the then 21-year-old from Bayer Leverkusen for £67 million in 2020 and the German scored just nine goals in 48 games in his first season.

However, he ended the season on a high, scoring the winner in the Champions League final against Manchester City, giving new boss Thomas Tuchel a taste of silverware in his first few months.

Havertz left the Blues for Arsenal last summer after finding the net 32 ​​times in three seasons and has proved a hit at the Emirates, where he has flourished in a new centre-forward role in a free-flowing Gunners side.

Now Lampard has revealed on Amazon Prime that he struggled to decide where to place the talented German in his Chelsea squad, and has praised current boss Mikel Arteta for ‘sticking with the player’.

Frank Lampard has admitted that Kai Havertz’s ‘best position wasn’t entirely clear’ during a mixed three-year spell at Chelsea

The England manager signed the then 21-year-old from Bayer Leverkusen for £67 million in 2020 and the German scored just nine goals in 48 games in his first season

Havertz left the Blues for Arsenal last summer and has scored 18 goals, including a goal against Leicester this weekend

He said: ‘I brought him to Chelsea a few years ago, he was a young player.

‘I don’t think it was completely clear when he came to Chelsea. He was a very talented player, his position was not entirely clear.

‘He was a number 8 more as a midfielder, he had been a number 9 and we never got to the end of his story at Chelsea. What was his best position?

‘The confidence that Mikel Arteta has shown in him by bringing him to the club and the confidence that he is committed to him… because I have a few Arsenal friends and when he first signed there were some question marks, like ‘ what is that?’ does he like?”

‘I said, ‘No, believe me, he’s a talented boy, he’ll progress to the PL’, and I think he has. He’s a very relaxed guy, very easy-going, but I think there’s a little line underneath where he wants to do well. He’s going to get frustrated because he’s just a guy who wants to do well.”

Havertz has enjoyed something of a renaissance at the Emirates, scoring 18 goals in just over one season, including four in eight so far this term.

His 99th-minute goal against Leicester City on Saturday helped his side secure a 4-2 victory after the Foxes shocked the home fans to reduce the match to 2-2 in a tense second half.

Lampard was speaking ahead of the Gunners’ Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain and ahead of the tie, Havertz admitted that winning the trophy with his new club would be even more special than his first success.

“It’s a nice feeling, but it would be even nicer if I could do it at Arsenal and it would mean a lot more,” he said. ‘I help where I can, but it’s been three, four years since I won it, so a long time ago, so I think I have to prove myself again in the dressing room.’

Havertz admitted that winning the trophy with his new club would be even more special than his first success with the Blues

Lampard was sacked as Blues boss in January 2021 before returning for another unsuccessful spell in 2023

The Englishman is the club’s all-time top scorer with an impressive 211 goals in all competitions

Lampard, Chelsea’s all-time top scorer with a whopping 211 goals, was sacked as Blues boss in January 2021 after a run of just two in eight games as the club sat ninth in the Premier League.

After a year out of the game, the England manager accepted the job at Everton and helped the side stay in the top flight in the last game of the season. He was sacked in January 2023 as the Toffees struggled in 19th place.

A return to Chelsea following the sacking of Graham Potter saw Lampard drag the Blues to the bottom half of the table, winning just one of his 11 games in charge.