Kai Havertz believes he has solved Chelsea's most baffling enigma after stealing the show again in the Champions League.
Three coaches at Stamford Bridge – Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel and now Graham Potter – have tried to work out the £72 million German forward's best position.
Havertz insists the best solution of all is to treat him as Chelsea's flexible friend who can play anywhere at the top end of the pitch. The 2021 Champions League final hero came alive again in his favourite competition with a spectacular winner against Salzburg to book the Blues' passage into this season's last 16 as group winners with a game to spare.
But he rolled his eyes after being asked whether his best position was any clearer, saying: “Everyone asks this question and after three years, everyone should know by now what I can do - that I'm flexible up front and I can play a lot of different positions.
“Of course, sometimes it's good to play in different positions and sometimes it's bad, but in general I'm an offensive player. I like to be in the box, I like to score goals, I like to arrive in the box often and I don't care if I'm there as a No.9 or a No.10. If I'm in the box, I'm there to score goals - and that's it.”
Havertz's third goal of the season – plus two for Germany against England at Wembley – certainly looked like the prowess of a forward with an enduring knowledge of how to find the target.
He comes alive in the Champions League like a kid on Christmas morning, and he admitted: “It's a special competition for me personally and for us as a club as well. For me, it's the best competition in the world and everyone is excited to play in these matches. It was nice to score an important goal (against Salzburg) and I hope to continue in this manner.”
In the bowels of Salzburg's swanky Red Bull Arena, Havertz was asked by one of his compatriots in the media corps about his coach bringing a touch of namesake Harry Potter's magic to Chelsea.
Diplomatically, he laughed: “I've only worked with him for a few weeks, but he is a very, very good coach and time will tell how far we can go in the Champions League – hopefully a long way.”
