“He’s let him stroll around midfield” - Joe Cole slams Chelsea defender who allowed Havertz to wreak havoc in 5-0 Arsenal win
Chelsea legend Joe Cole slammed Benoit Badiashile for allowing too much room to Kai Havetz as Arsenal demolished the Blues 5-0 in the Premier League on Tuesday, April 23. The Gunners made a strong statement of intent and put pressure on Manchester City and Liverpool as Kai Havertz stole the show against his former club.
Leandro Trossard opened the scoring for Arsenal at the Emirates before both Havertz and Ben White bagged braces to hand Mauricio Pochettino's side one of their biggest defeat of the campaign. Youngster Alfie Gilchrist and goalkeeper Dorde Petrovic were at fault for Trossard's opener but Cole hit out at Badiashile for not being able to deal with Havertz.
The Frenchman almost gave away a penalty within the first minute after fouling Havertz in the box but the offside flag came to his rescue. However, Badiashile continued to struggle to cope with Arsenal attackers, especially Havertz.
Cole slammed the former AS Monaco defender after the game for being too passive in his approach. The former England international was quoted as saying by Metro:
"Do you know what? That first 10 minutes sums up Chelsea’s season. They played themselves back into the game, and made chances. But I think it [the first goal] comes from Havertz."
The former Chelsea winger added:
"Badiashile has got to go with him and set the tone. You must be thinking all week, 'I’m playing Havertz. I’m gonna stop him'. And in the first five minutes he’s let him stroll around midfield. It was so passive. And poor Gilchrist, he’s got his work cut out. He’s got Declan Rice running at him and Trossard on the outside. It just spells out Chelsea’s game in that half."
Badiashile has not been able to live up to the expectations at Stamford Bridge following his £32.7 million switch from Monaco in January 2023. He has only made 27 appearances across competitions for the Blues so far and has often been error-prone.
Chelsea sent scouts to watch Serie A star in action: Reports
Chelsea reportedly sent scouts to watch Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez in person as the Argentine striker helped the Nerazzurri clinch the Serie A title on Monday, April 22. Simone Inzaghi's side defeated their local rivals AC Milan 2-1 to win their 20th Scudetto, with Martnez playing a pivotal role in their success.
Scouts from Chelsea were reportedly in attendance to watch Martinez as well as his teammate Federico Dimarco while also watching AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan. Napoli striker Victor Osimhen remains the Blues' primary target but they fear losing out on the Nigeria international to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Martinez has been Inter Milan's talisman since joining the club from Racing Club in 2018. He has broken a 72-year record by scoring 20 goals in three consecutive Serie A seasons for the Nerazzurri.