Sold to Arsenal and then made Chelsea regret it, Joe Cole criticises Blues: 'This is not good enough'

When Chelsea sold Kai Havertz to Arsenal, they were very satisfied with the transfer fee. However, the former player later hurt his old club with his performances, and in Arsenal's victory over Chelsea yesterday, Havertz once again played a key role.

Former player turns against old club, Joe Cole launches criticism

Former Chelsea winger Joe Cole was very unhappy with the deal. On a Premier League production programme, he publicly criticised Chelsea for sending an attacking player to a direct rival and said, 'This is not good enough.' Cole said that if a club had Kai Havertz in its squad, the coaching staff and management would see his ability every day and every week, yet still allowed him to leave, meaning the issue lay with the sporting director level.

Cole further pointed out that coaches and head coaches come and go, but decisions made by sporting directors have a more lasting impact. He urged people to look at how much Chelsea spent on the striker position after letting Havertz leave. Cole believes this kind of mistake cannot continue, saying it had already happened once when Kevin De Bruyne left, and now the same situation has happened again with Kai Havertz.

Comparing with the Ferguson and Wenger eras

Cole also referred to historical examples. He said this type of transfer never happened during Sir Alex Ferguson's era at Manchester United or Arsene Wenger's era at Arsenal. He asked: when did people ever hear of them letting a player leave, only for that player to develop into a world-class star at a rival club?

However, Chelsea's sporting director level may have two possible arguments in defence. First, comparisons with Ferguson and Wenger may no longer be applicable today because football has changed greatly in terms of finances and transfers. Second, Havertz's sale was more related to the wage structure, as the club was attempting to rebuild its squad and operating model from the ground up at the time. It was not because Chelsea believed Havertz lacked ability, but because his wages could not fit within the club's salary restrictions.

Havertz's response comes on the pitch

Havertz did not respond to his former club with words, but instead became a key figure again as Arsenal defeated Chelsea. This was not the first time he had threatened his former club after returning as an opponent. For Chelsea, the transfer fee that once satisfied them is now being re-evaluated through Havertz's series of important performances.