“It’s okay being good on the ball, but you need to be able to run”, “looked a shadow of the player he was a couple of years ago” – Agbonlahor slams 2 Chelsea stars after Southampton defeat

Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel 'Gabby' Agbonlahor has slammed Chelsea players Jorginho and Kai Havertz following their shock defeat against Southampton on Tuesday (August 30) night.

The Blues have endured a difficult start to the campaign despite spending heavily in the transfer market.

Thomas Tuchel's side lost 2-1 to Southampton on Tuesday despite taking the lead through Raheem Sterling. Romeo Lavia equalized for the Saints just five minutes after Sterling's opener with Adam Armstrong's late first-half strike snatching all three points from Chelsea.

Thomas Tuchel's side have only managed to secure just seven points from a possible 15 from their opening five games of the season.

Agbonlahor has hit out at the duo of Jorginho and Havertz following Chelsea's underwhelming start to the season.

The former England attacker has claimed that Jorginho might be brilliant with his passing but he is being outrun in midfield.

Agbonlahor has also claimed that Kai Havertz looks like a shadow of his former self, which is why the Blues are over-reliant on Raheem Sterling. He told talkSPORT:

“Jorginho can’t run in midfield anymore, it’s okay being good on the ball, but you need to be able to run in midfield now."

“Havertz looked a shadow of the player he was a couple of years ago. They are relying on Sterling."

Jorginho has been a key player for Chelsea since joining the club back in 2018 following the footsteps of Maurizio Sarri from Napoli.

His time at Stamford Bridge has been quite up and down but the Italy international has been a key player under Thomas Tuchel.

Meanwhile, Kai Havertz has also not been able to live up to his price tag of £75.8 million following his move from Bayer Leverkusen. The German has scored several important goals for the Blues but has not been able to deliver on a consistent basis.

---

Chelsea have spent heavily this summer

Chelsea have been quite active this summer following their much-awaited takeover by Todd Boehly from Roman Abramovich.

Following the £70 million arrival of Wesley Fofana from Leicester City, their total outlay for the summer has crossed the £200 million mark.

Marc Cucurella and Raheem Sterling have commanded fees of £62 million and £50 million, respectively.

Meanwhile, Kalidou Koulibaly was snapped up from Napoli for a fee of £34 million.

Youngsters Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei and Gabriel Slonina have been signed for £20 million, £12.6 million and £12 million, respectively.

Thomas Tuchel needs to deliver soon following so much backing from the new owners.