Craig Burley believes Kai Havertz has demonstrated he cannot "cut it in England" after another poor performance from the German attacker. The 23-year-old is yet to register a goal or an assist in his opening five Premier League appearances of the 2022/23 season.
There were calls for Armando Broja to be handed a start in place of Havertz on Tuesday night. However, Thomas Tuchel stuck with his German countryman, but he failed to leave his mark on what was a disappointing Chelsea display down on the south coast.
With less than 48 hours of the summer transfer window remaining, Chelsea are still in the market for another couple of attacking options. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is one of them, and while personal terms or a fee with Barcelona are yet to be agreed, there is a genuine confidence from the Blues that a deal can be struck for the former Arsenal captain.
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Former Chelsea midfielder Burley was quick to criticise the whole team but also specifically mentioned a few players – including Havertz. Speaking to ESPN, Burley said: "They were poor and it wasn't surprising. Yes, they beat Leicester at the weekend, but again, away from home, they're poor.
"They took the lead against a team a lot of people are tipping for relegation. None of Southampton's players would get near the Chelsea team.
"It's another unacceptable performance. It's unacceptable. I know they've got one or two out, but so what? It just wasn't good enough and it's not an anomaly.
"Look at the performance against Leeds. They scrapped a win at Everton. I'm sorry, we're trying to find excuses here but it is not good enough."
He added: "Listen, with Kai Havertz, I've said it before, it's all very well playing well in the Champions League, scoring in the final, that's great for him, but there are 50 games in a season. Timo Werner's gone back and scored a hat-trick in Germany, that tells you all you need to know.
"He couldn't cut it in England and Havertz is the same. [Mason] Mount's not playing well. They'll all be crying about [Christian] Pulisic after that. It's up to these players to do it.
"Ziyech, he's lightweight. When he came in under [Frank] Lampard, we were all worried because he looked injury-prone and weak. These players are all worth millions. The manager needs to sort it out."
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