- Former Chelsea star Joe Cole praised Arsenal striker Kai Havertz
- He believes that the German is a ‘brilliant’ player and would like to continue at Chelsea
- Nottingham Forest have been stripped of their sympathy after three difficult decisions – Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Joe Cole insists Kai Havertz has been a “great signing” for Arsenal and wants the former Chelsea star to stay at Stamford Bridge last summer.
The two London giants will clash at the Emirates on Tuesday, with Arsenal top of the Premier League after beating Wolves 2-0 at the weekend.
Meanwhile, Chelsea head into the London derby fresh from their bitter FA Cup exit, having narrowly lost 1-0 to Manchester City in Saturday’s semi-final at Wembley.
Havertz, who has nine goals and five assists in the Premier League this campaign, will hope to keep the pressure on title rivals Manchester City and Liverpool by inspiring the Gunners to victory against his former club on Tuesday.
Praising the German star, who joined Arsenal for £65million in the summer, Cole urged Havertz is a “brilliant” footballer and claimed his best position is centre-forward.
Joe Cole wishes ‘brilliant’ Kai Havertz (above) didn’t leave Chelsea for Arsenal last summer
Former Chelsea player Cole (above) says Havertz has been a “great signing” for the Gunners
Havertz played a crucial role in Chelsea’s 2021 Champions League triumph, scoring the winning goal.
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“I always liked him as number 9. He was a brilliant player for Chelsea,” he said. TNT Sports said the expert.
“He arrived with a huge transfer fee, played in multiple positions and finally scored the winning goal in the Champions League final (in 2021). I’ve always liked him and I didn’t want him to leave.
‘He’s gone there (Arsenal) and done very well, he’s found his place. He’s an infielder, whether he plays as a number 9 or a false 9, he has a lovely instinct for scoring goals and he has that passing weight and calmness.”
Cole claims that Havertz gave Chelsea a focal point in attack, similar to several iconic Blues forwards who came before him, such as Didier Drogba, Diego Costa and Fernando Torres.
Chelsea’s current number 9 Nicolas Jackson, who joined Stamford Bridge for £30m last summer, missed a catalog of opportunities at Wembley on Saturday and received just 4/10 in Mail Sport’s post-match player ratings.
Chelsea suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Mauricio Pochettino’s young Chelsea side are gradually making progress but must now settle for another trophy-less season having last lifted a trophy in 2021.
Cole continued to wax lyrical about Havertz, adding: “He’s one of those players I would have loved to have stayed at Chelsea.” He is a great player.
“When he played that role at Chelsea, he was synonymous with forwards of the last 20 years like Drogba, Torres, Costa. The fans are used to having that. I think he did a great job with Chelsea and he has been a great signing (for Arsenal)”.
Watch Arsenal v Chelsea exclusively live on TNT Sports or stream it discovery+ starting at 7 pm on Tuesday, April 23. For more information on how to watch TNT Sports, visit HERE.
