Chelsea's German game-changer: How Kai Havertz became the man for the big day

If Chelsea are to beat Manchester City in tonight's Champions League final, three Germans need to deliver their best performances of the season. Allan Prosser looks at West London’s version of the Mannschaft

Manager Thomas Tuchel (right) greets Kai Havertz (left) after he is substituted during a Premier League game. The duo and Timo Werner  -Chelsea's Dreikaiserbund - are looking to inspire the Blues to Champions League glory. Picture: Catherine Ivill

To some observers there is a vaguely retro feel to the most expensive player in Chelsea’s history.

Kai Havertz, €89m worth of languid talent, has been lampooned by Guardian journalist Barney Ronay as possessing “the diffident air of a minor Jane Austen character.” He added: “He is a player so agreeably effete at moments you half-expect to look down and notice he’s wearing a ruffled blue shirt and a pair of britches.”