Football is littered with examples of players who made a big move too soon, but it’s not always easy to tell when someone is ready to leave their comfort zone.
Every player will develop at a different rate, but usually if they’ve played for their country and have a few seasons of first team football under their belt then it’s a sign that they could be ready.
Clearly former Man United striker Dimitar Berbatov doesn’t feel Bayer Leverkusen striker Kai Havertz is ready just now, as he’s trying to dissuade him from moving just now.
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His comments to Betfair were reported by The Evening Standard, and it’s clear Berbatov thinks he should stay put:
“There’s a lot of talk that Liverpool, Chelsea and other teams are interested in him, so now he needs to be careful, not let that go to his head and stay focused on his game,”
“He has enough quality and if he continues the way he is going teams will still be there, they won’t go away. All eyes are on the Bundesliga at the moment and when you score goals and play good football it is no surprise that teams like Liverpool want you.
“I would like to see Havertz in the Premier League at some point, but not right now. I think it is a bit too early for him, I want to see him play more games, score more goals and get more confidence and maturity.”
He mentions Chelsea and Liverpool as possible destinations, while the report also adds Man United to that list. There’s no price tag mentioned in this piece, but you have to think a German international playing for a big team would be expensive, so that might delay any transfer for now.
It feels like he will move to the Premier League at some point in the future, but time will tell if he follows Berbatov’s advice.