Name: Kai Havertz
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Date of Birth: 11 June 1999
Position: Attacking midfielder
KAI HAVERTZ – HIS CAREER SO FAR
By now, everyone is already aware of who Kai Havertz is and what he can do. But it’s also easy to forget we’re still talking about a 21-year-old youngster who has his whole career ahead of him. And so far, he’s only been a part of a single club, advancing through the ranks to eventually step onto the biggest stage for Bayer Leverkusen’s seniors in the Bundesliga.
Of course, before becoming a fully-fledged professional, Havertz was part of amateur side Alemannia Mariadorf and then a second division side Alemannia Aachen after that. Eventually, aged 11, he was snatched up by Bayer Leverkusen and never looked back ever since. The youngster’s game time was limited throughout 2013/14 and in 2014/15 he would already start shining, bagging seven goals and two assists across 23 games for the U17 side in the U17 Bundesliga West.
The season after that, Havertz exploded, registering 18 goals in another stellar campaign and it was there and then Bayer Leverkusen knew he couldn’t be kept in the youth squads anymore. Following 53 games in which he scored 26 goals and assisted further three, the youngster was moved up to the seniors to make his grand bow, becoming the club’s then youngest-ever debutant in the Bundesliga.
Needless to say, brilliance followed soon afterwards and another record was broken when he netted his first goal for the team, becoming their youngster-ever goalscorer and then the youngest player to reach 50 and 100 league games in the German top flight. Everyone knew Havertz was going to be special and so far, he’s been proving them right.
Now, he can already boast with a total of 148 games played for the senior team, scoring 45 and assisting 31, often carrying the team even when they’re struggling. Of course, he is not all about the final product and the kid can be the cog to push his teammates forward. For that reason, it doesn’t surprise to see him courted by the biggest of teams in Europe.
The 21-year-old could be in for a huge transfer in the immediate future.
TRANSFER LATEST
It goes without saying that being such a highly developed young prospect comes with lots of benefits and one such benefit is the constant interest from the biggest European clubs. There have been multiple transfer rumours connecting Havertz with a switch to Chelsea as Frank Lampard looks to add another deadly piece to his exciting jigsaw.
Further transfer news suggested the Blues will, however, have to wait until after Bayer Leverkusen’s Europa League run even though it was initially suggested the deal could be struck before that.
That’s basically the latest Bayer Leverkusen news to come out on the topic of Kai Havertz but with the transfer window now open and ready for action, we can expect all sorts of new updates almost on a daily basis.
PLAYER PROFILE
Havertz is an extremely dynamic player that loves to roam the final third. Generally, however, his position on the pitch can best be described as a no.10 or an attacking midfielder. He loves to position himself in those areas behind the striker where he’s allowed the creative freedom to directly influence play.
And it helps that this ensures he is always close to the action and close to the box. Havertz is a good dribbler and has a keen eye for a pass. Looking at his skill set, it’s easy to see why teams often put an emphasis on stopping him progress by tight man-marking or completely cutting off his supply.
He’s often been described as a player who can essentially do everything, plays well with both feet and has drawn comparisons with the likes of Mesut Ozil and Michael Ballack. Not bad players to be compared to at all.