06 March 2023 , 18:32
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Graham Potter has confirmed Kai Havertz as Chelsea's first-choice penalty taker following Jorginho's move to Arsenal in January.
Jorginho, 31, joined the Gunners in a £12million deal after four-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge, during which a whopping 93 per cent of his goals came from the spot. The Italian converted 27 of the 31 penalties he took for Chelsea across all competitions and became renowned for his hop-and-shoot method.
He is yet to take a penalty for Arsenal, where Bukayo Saka is the first-choice taker, while his departure left Potter needing a new go-to man from 12 yards. The Blues boss settled on £72million forward Havertz ahead of Tuesday night's Champions League last-16 second leg against Borussia Dortmund, which could be decided by penalties.
"The players are always practising penalties," Potter said. "We are prepared for the eventuality and possibility [of a penalty shootout]. We want to win it before that but if not, then we will be prepared to go through in that way. Kai is our penalty taker in the absence of Jorginho."
Chelsea lost the first leg 1-0 at Westfalenstadion in mid-February, leaving their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals teetering. UEFA's decision to remove the away goals rule last season has increased the likelihood of extra time and penalty shootouts deciding European ties.
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Jorginho had a formidable record from the penalty spot for Chelsea (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)Havertz has taken one penalty for Chelsea - an extra-time winner against Palmeiras in the Club World Cup final last year. He has been by no means prolific for the Blues since his big-money arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020, scoring 29 goals in 125 appearances in all competitions. That being said, the German international struck the decisive goal in the Champions League final against Manchester City in his debut season, and Potter threw his weight behind the 23-year-old ahead of the visit of Dortmund.
"I think we have to attack better as a team and that's my responsibility," Potter said in response to criticism of Havertz. "It's too easy to zoom into individuals and blame them. It's a collective, we have to create more, do better, and that starts with me, helping the team get better chances more chances because then I don't doubt the quality of the players."
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Kai Havertz scored the winner in the Club World Cup final against Palmeiras (Angel Martinez - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)Turning his attention to Havertz's attacking colleague Raheem Sterling, the English manager said: "His goalscoring record in the Champions League [26 goals in 79 appearances] speaks for itself. He's an experienced, proven campaigner in that competition.
"So, we're delighted with that and we're looking forward to him on the pitch on Tuesday, and hopefully enjoying his football and, and contributing to us winning and going through. You can see his quality that he brings and if he's enjoying his football, he's a really important player for us and the last two home games [a 1-0 victory over Leeds and a 1-0 defeat by Southampton ], you could see that."