Havertz scores again against Chelsea as Cole slams £65m sale: 'It's got to stop happening'

Kai Havertz scored against Chelsea for the fourth time since his £65m move across London, helping Arsenal overturn a deficit to beat their rivals at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday — and the goal reignited fierce criticism of Chelsea’s decision to let him go.

Morgan Rogers gave Chelsea an early lead, but Havertz’s strike and a Martin Odegaard goal turned the match around, handing Arsenal all three points and extending Havertz’s remarkable record against his former club.

Former Chelsea and England midfielder Joe Cole was scathing in his assessment of the sale. “I think if you’ve got Kai Havertz at your club you’re watching him every day, week in, week out,” Cole said. “Coaches and managers come and go, but the Directors of Football? Look at the amount of money on centre-forwards the club has spent since they let him go out the door. It’s just not good enough; I think it’s got to stop happening.”

Cole drew a direct parallel with Kevin De Bruyne’s departure from Stamford Bridge, arguing that Chelsea have a damaging pattern of releasing players who go on to reach world-class level at rival clubs. “Those kind of deals never happened at Manchester United with Sir Alex Ferguson, or with Arsene Wenger at Arsenal,” he said. “When did you hear of them letting go of a player who went on to become world class at one of your rivals?”

Havertz joined Chelsea from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020 and scored 32 goals in 139 appearances, including the winner in the 2021 Champions League final. Since moving to Arsenal, the 27-year-old has already surpassed that tally, netting 39 times in just 115 outings.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was equally emphatic about Havertz’s value to Arsenal, arguing that his contribution extends well beyond goals. “To displace Kai Havertz out of this team, you’re talking about one of the best players in the world,” Carragher said. “It has to be an Ian Wright, guaranteed 30 goals a season, a Thierry Henry.”

Carragher also highlighted Havertz’s defensive work as central to Arsenal’s structure. “One of the reasons why you can’t break Arsenal down as a team is how well they press from the front. But then when the opposition get through that, they all get behind the ball, and Havertz is about 25, 30 yards from his goal. You go and ask a world-class striker to do that — a guy who’s obsessed with his numbers and his goals — to come back and do that, he won’t do that.”