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Since bursting onto the scene during the 2015-16 campaign, Havertz has quickly become of the Bundesliga’s biggest stars. Following his rapid rise to stardom, the German midfielder has established himself as one of Europe’s hottest prospects, reportedly attracting interest from a whole host of Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool. So, let’s a look at whether a top-flight English side should take a gamble on him.

The Bundesliga’s Next Big Star

When you analyze the now 20-year-old’s statistical return, it’s clear to see why the youngster has become such an integral part of Bayer Leverkusen’s squad over the last few years. Moreover, as of May 29th, he’s also one of the primary reasons as to why Die Werkself are priced at 4/5 to finish in the top four with football betting come the end of the Bundesliga season. Having progressed through the club’s academy, the attacking midfielder has scored 42 goals, in addition to assisting a further 30, across his 142 appearances for the German side, according to Soccer Base. Furthermore, it’s a testament to the German’s abilities that he has already registered seven international caps.

“Die drei Fußballer Lucas Alario, Wendel” (CC BY 2.0) by verchmarco

In an era of football where the German top flight is the home to a wide array of up-and-coming talents, such as Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho, Timo Werner, and many more, Havertz is considered by some to be the league’s standout player. A report by the Daily Star states that former Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Steffen Freund believes that the Leverkusen youngster is the most talented player in the Bundesliga.

Versatility with the Potential to Flourish

Fundamentally, aside from Havertz’s ability to find the back of the net while supporting a lone striker, which, in Leverkusen’s case, is usually Kevin Volland, the 20-year-old is also more than capable of leading the line himself. Crucially, the German international’s ability to operate to a world-class level in numerous offensive positions is why he’s highly sought after by several Premier League sides.

Despite the fact that the midfielder is rumored to be priced at approximately $110 million by the one-time UEFA Cup winners, his in-game intelligence is one of the reasons why he is undoubtedly worth the gamble. Even though he has typically operated as an attacking midfielder for much of his professional career, Havertz has this season shown that he can also lead the line as a prolific goalscorer. As per his profile at Transfermarkt, the former Alemannia Mariadorf youth player has, at the time of writing, been deployed as a center forward on six occasions by Peter Bosz during the 2019-20 season. Impressively, Havertz has thrived in this role, scoring six goals and setting one up for his teammates.

Naturally, it’s because of his positional flexibility that he is the ideal option for Premier League teams. Manchester City, for example, are set to lose David Silva come the end of the current campaign, and while his position at the club will be tough to fill, Hazertz is more than capable of stepping up and delivering in his absence on the field.

The Ability to Produce All-Important Match-Winning Moments

Ultimately, while Hazertz is guaranteed to cost a lot of money, few players in world football are capable of altering the outcome of a match quite like the 20-year-old. Although it remains to be seen as to what happens next in the German’s career, there can be no doubts that he has the talent to reach the pinnacle of the sport, especially at a Premier League club.

With the 2019-20 Premier League season almost certain to come to a premature end, clubs will soon turn their focus to transfers. Although many players will be unable to get a move they wanted in the summer due to the financial and societal changes caused by COVID-19, many players will be looking for a clean break. In particular, players who have their contracts running out by the end of June.

One such player is David Silva of Manchester City. The Spaniard looks certain to move on, having made clear that this was his final season in Manchester. The talk is that he could make a similar move, though, going to New York City FC in the MLS instead of a return back to Spain. Links to Valencia, his original club, have persisted for a while and could be a realistic move for the young Spaniard. However, a new surprise destination is being mooted: AC Milan.

The Milanese giants are nowhere near the power they once were, having fallen quite spectacularly form the heights they once stood at. Still, a move to the Rossoneri would be a delight for almost any player, and it would be a chance for Silva to head up a whole new project.

The idea seems to have grown legs in the last weeks, with City seemingly happy to say goodbye to one of the best players in their history. Intrigued by the idea of a fresh start, there is talk that Silva will look to try his hand at European football one more time before moving on to start something fresh.

Expect many more clubs to be linked to the playmaker, but for now the only thing that is certain is that his future lies outside of Manchester. We’re sure he’ll have no shortage of takers.

If you were to go back and read the football rumours of November 2019 and early December 2019, the talk was of more excess. More club record signings. More billions being spent on footballers. However, in the age of the COVID-19 virus, we are looking at a whole new landscape for football. It’s likely that one of three things will take place:

1. Players who were previously set for a major move will stick around for a year, hoping for normality to resume.
2. Players will get their moves, but at vastly reduced costs for both transfer fees and the wages being earned.
3. Clubs will have to take a look further down their list of targets, with many ‘A’ targets unaffordable compared to previously.

This is likely to produce a massive change to the way that football works. Clubs are already being adjusting to the market and what it means. For example, one fine example comes at Liverpool FC. The would-be/should-be English champions have been linked with a new central defender for some time. The injury-prone Joel Matip and Joe Gomez are fine players but lack reliability. Dejan Lovren is both consistently unfit and inconsistent on the pitch.

For a while there, the Reds were being linked with everyone from Milan Skriniar to Samuel Umtiti. Now, though, the latest links show the likely reality of football finance moving forward; Diego Carlos. The 27-year-old has been solid enough for Sevilla but would mark a significant step down from some of the names being bandied around before this outbreak took place.

So, if Liverpool are having to readjust their targets to a smaller level of financial ambition, will that mean that most of the football world will follow suit? It’s likely to be the case moving forward.