"These players are all worth millions" - Craig Burley slams 4 Chelsea players for 'unacceptable' defeat against Southampton
Former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley has hit out at Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech for their disjointed performance in the Blues' 2-1 loss at Southampton in the Premier League on Tuesday (August 30).
After new Blues signing Raheem Sterling opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, the Saints turned the game on its head with goals from Romeo Lavia and Adam Armstrong. The Blues couldn't respond in kind as they lost for the second time this season. Thomas Tuchel's side are now eighth in the standings.
The strike 💥
The passion ❤️
@RomeoLavia's #PL account: OPEN 🔓 https://t.co/wWXEq5RwfY
Speaking on ESPN (via Metro), Burley slammed the Blues for their 'unacceptable performance' away from home. He said:
"They were poor, and it wasn't surprising. Yes, they beat Leicester at the weekend, but again, away from home, they're poor. It's another unacceptable performance. And it's not an anomaly. Look at the performance at Leeds. They scrapped a win at Everton. I'm sorry, we're trying to find excuses here, but it's not good enough."
Analysing Havertz's stint in England, he added:
"Listen, with Kai Havertz, I've said it before. It's all very well playing well in the Champions League, scoring in the final, that's great for him, but there's 50 games in a season. Timo Werner's gone back and scored a hat-trick in Germany, that tells you all you need to know. He couldn't cut it in England, and Havertz is the same."
He continued:
"Mount's not playing well. They'll all been crying about Pulisic after that. It's up to these players to do it. Ziyech, he's lightweight. When he came in under (ormer manager Frank) Lampard we were all worried because he looked injury-prone and weak. These players are all worth millions. The manager needs to sort it out."
Chelsea have seven points from five games. The west London outfit will next lock horns with city rivals West Ham United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday (September 3).
2 – Chelsea have lost at least two of their opening five games to a Premier League campaign for just the second time in 27 seasons, after losing three of their first five in 2015-16 – eventually finishing 10th place that year. Ominous. https://t.co/qmQIoBJy3z
Chelsea set asking price for Hakim Ziyech
According to 90min, Chelsea have slapped a £30 million price tag on winger Hakim Ziyech amidst interest from Tottenham Hotspur. The report also added that Ajax are interested in the Moroccan to replace Manchester United-bound Antony, albeit on loan.
Ziyech arrived at Stamford Bridge from Ajax for £36 million in 2020 after registering 130 goal contributions in 165 games for the Eredivisie giants. However, the 29-year-old has failed to live up to expectations, contributing just 14 goals and ten assists in 85 games for the Blues.