Kai Havertz sends Chelsea fans warning over duo after £194m January arrivals

Chelsea forward Kai Havertz has come out in support for his two new teammates advising fans to be patient.

Havertz, who joined the west London club in 2020 for a then club-record fee of approximately £71 million, endured a tough start to life in English football struggling with fitness and consistency.

Speaking to the Guardian, the German admitted that the pressure which came with such a hefty price tag has hindered him at times in his Chelsea career.

“For me the price was a big thing,” Havertz went on to say. “That brings pressure because people think you are Messi. I was still 20, 21. People don’t see that; they see the price so you have to be great from day one.”

And with so many new additions to the squad joining for handsome sums of money, namely Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk, the attacking midfielder has issued caution to Chelsea’s new men whilst calling on fans to give them time.

“A dozen players arrived since summer; it’s not easy. Enzo and Mudryk have come for a lot of money and they’re only 22 you know? You cannot expect them to be Neymar straight away. It’s like me: it takes time.”

Chelsea made eight new additions to their ever-evolving squad in the January transfer window and with Fernandez and Mudryk joining for a combined sum of around £194 million, eyes have been on them from the get go.

Fernandez, who joined for a British record fee of £106.8 million from Benfica, has bedded into life more smoothly than his teammate Mudryk who was signed in a deal worth up to £88 million.

The Ukrainian has found minutes in Graham Potter’s side hard to come by since joining from Shakhtar Donetsk, registering no goals and just one assist in seven appearances for the Blues.

However, echoing Havertz’s thoughts, the transition from European football to the dynamic nature of the Premier League is not always the easiest to navigate, especially when you haven’t played football for two months, which Mudryk didn’t do due to the World Cup.

With the comparisons being drawn from himself to Mudryk and Fernandez, Havertz knows all too well about the crippling pressure which comes with such a price tag. However, the silky German has also experienced the highest of highs in the sport, scoring a Champions League final winning goal to ensure Chelsea won the European Cup for the second time in 2021.

Could Mudryk and Fernandez repeat this feat to help the west London side lift number three come June?