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Kai Havertz Opens Up On Cristiano Ronaldo Pressure After £71m Transfer To Chelsea

Kai Havertz Opens Up On Cristiano Ronaldo Pressure After £71m Transfer To Chelsea

"I felt a completely different pressure than before in Leverkusen."

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare

Kai Havertz has opened up about feeling a "completely different pressure" during his first season at Chelsea.

The German attacking midfielder, who joined the Blues from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth £71 million - the second-most expensive deal in the club's history - was expected to come in and make a huge impact after a wonderful 2019/20 campaign under Peter Bosz.

Image credit: PA
Image credit: PA

To his credit, it didn't take long for the highly-rated Havertz to make a great first impression, scoring a hat-trick in the EFL Cup against Barnsley in September.

But despite a promising start, the talented German struggled in large parts throughout his first season in England - although he did enjoy an impressive spell in the final weeks of the campaign, netting in last month's Champions League final against Manchester City.

Havertz has since opened up about his debut season at Chelsea in an interview with German outlet Suddeutsche Zeitung, where he claimed expectations were too high when he first arrived at Stamford Bridge.

"People expect you to be the new Cristiano Ronaldo," he said.

"But it won't be that fast, everything is new and I really didn't play my best football at the beginning.

"I felt a completely different pressure than before in Leverkusen."

Image credit: PA
Image credit: PA

Back in March, the 22-year-old, who tested positive for coronavirus in November, admitted that moving to a new country during the lockdown period was tough.

"For me, it has been difficult to change everything," he told The Mirror.

"It's hard for me, but I'm six months here and getting used to the place, to the country. I hope that I will see my family soon. It's tough for me, I've always loved spending time with them.

"It has not been the right time to spend some time with them. But it's not only me, there are thousands of other people in an even worse situation than me.

"It isn't an excuse for me. I will give my best."

Image credit: PA
Image credit: PA

Do you think Havertz will come good next season after a promising end to the campaign?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Chelsea, Football, Bayer Leverkusen, Kai Havertz, Cristiano Ronaldo

Jack Kenmare is a writer at SPORTbible. He's interviewed some of the biggest names in sport, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pele, Carles Puyol and Tim Henman. He dabbles in all things sport but football is his biggest passion. He was once hit in the head by a wayward strike from Nicky Butt and lived to tell the tale.

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