Gary Neville surprised by Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to sell this Chelsea star

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Manchester United legend Gary Neville has revealed he is surprised by Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to sell Kai Havertz.

After three years with Chelsea, Havertz left Chelsea this summer for Arsenal in a deal worth £65million.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Overlap Fan Debate, Neville said: “I think Havertz is a very good player and he’ll be a lot better at Arsenal than he was at Chelsea.

“I was surprised that Pochettino let him go. I thought he would want to work with him.”

He continued: “I think he can get 15-20 goals in the right team. So for me you’re hoping that eight goals or nine goals [he scored last season] all of a sudden those missed chances – if he’s getting them all the time – confidence comes, that calmness and assuredness and all of sudden it goes from nine to 18. Then you’re talking about a major player.”

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher rejected suggestions Havertz flopped at Chelsea.

“He wasn’t a disaster at Chelsea, he was one of those players that did alright. He did okay,” explained Carragher.

“I don’t think he was a disastrous signing, he did score the winner in the Champions League final! He wasn’t one of those signings like a Werner where you just go: total disaster, you’ve got to get him out of the club straight away.

“He was a young player, came in, you’re not quite sure what his position is. I’m not saying it’s a great signing for Arsenal by the way. I’m still a bit like: where is he going to fit in for Arsenal? For him to be a success at Arsenal he’s got to go higher than the performances he showed at Chelsea.

“But I don’t think he was a disaster for Chelsea. It’s one of those where you were thinking, can someone get more out of him? Can he play in a certain position to get more out of him?

“For me he’s not a striker, he was playing as a false nine for Thomas Tuchel. That’s my point with Arsenal, where does he play?

“He played up front [against City] but he’s not a centre-forward. It’s whether he can play in that position where Granit Xhaka played last season, that’s where I think he could be perfect, making late runs. But he’s not a central midfielder either.”

1 Comment on "Gary Neville surprised by Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to sell this Chelsea star"

  1. Richard Aidoo | August 8, 2023 at 5:57 pm |

    Can’t you see kai later he was playing football politics? with some England players?

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