Barcelona Opinion: Why should Barca sign Kai Havertz?
According to a report from Sport, Barcelona are interested in signing German sensation Kai Havertz, with the report claiming that the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder is open to bigger challenges.
Havertz, who was on the transfer radar of Premier League club Liverpool (h/t Liverpool Echo), is tied with Leverkusen until 2022.
Havertz’s breakthrough season in the Bundesliga
The 2018/19 campaign turned out to be an incredible season for the German prospect, as goals and assists thrived from his feet.
To be precise, Havertz racked up 20 goals and 7 assists in all competitions. The intriguing fact is that he ended up with 17 goals in the Bundesliga the last term, having mainly played as an attacking midfielder.
Besides helping Leverkusen earn a spot in the Champions League, the 20-year-old also made his dream debut for the German national team last year.
A youth product of the Bundesliga outfit, Havertz broke into the main team in 2016 but only made his presence felt the last term, owing to his sheer hard work.
Barca’s need for a creative playmaker
Elsewhere at Nou Camp, Barca witnessed the downfall of their marquee signing Philippe Coutinho the last term. The ex-Liverpool man did nothing but drew angst from the Blaugrana faithful, owing to his string of lacklustre displays.
With the Brazilian strongly linked with a move away from Spain, Barca need to recruit a replacement and they can find the answer in Havertz.
Havertz garnered healthy stats the last term, with a pass success percentage of 87 and attempting an average of 2.6 shots on target per game.
Known for his ambidexterity and strong dribbling skills, which is further clarified by an average of 1.4 dribbles, the German rising star has had an average of 1 key pass per game.
One of the surprising traits of Havertz is his flexibility to play anywhere along the front line and the middle of the park.
Yet, his best position turns out to be the No.10 role and on the right flank as an inverted winger, where he can make lay-offs and cut-ins and have a shot at the goal.
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The presence of Havertz will also enhance the competition level of Ousmane Dembele, another exciting prospect who has failed to hit the ground running because of recurring injury woes.
Final Verdict
Barca have already added Antoine Griezmann to fortify the attacking line-up. Whilst the midfield lacks a creative playmaker, Havertz can be a fruitful addition and reduce the workload of talisman Lionel Messi.