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Former Chelsea star Joe Cole has strongly criticised his old club for deciding to sell Kai Havertz to London rivals Arsenal. Havertz played a key role in helping Mikel Arteta's side claim an important 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday, leading Cole to question a transfer approach that allows highly gifted players to strengthen direct competitors.

Cole criticises Chelsea's transfer decisions

Cole has hit out at Chelsea for selling Havertz to Arsenal in a £65 million deal in 2023. Havertz scored the equaliser in Arsenal's recent 2-1 victory over Chelsea after cancelling out an early goal from Morgan Rogers, before Martin Odegaard struck the winner.

Speaking on Premier League Productions, Cole made his frustration clear: "I think if you’ve got Kai Havertz at your club you’re watching him every day, week in, week out. Coaches and managers come and go, but the Directors of Football? Look at the amount of money on centre-forwards the club has spent since they [let] him go out the door."

Comparisons with De Bruyne and legendary managers

Cole also questioned Chelsea's policy of letting elite talent leave, drawing a direct comparison with another major exit. Cole added: "It’s just not good enough; I think it’s got to stop happening. It happened with Kevin De Bruyne [leaving]; it happened with Kai Havertz. Those kind of deals never happened at Manchester United with Sir Alex Ferguson, or with Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. When did you hear of them letting go of a player who went on to become world class at one of your rivals?"

The result leaves Arsenal with a maximum of nine points from three games, while Chelsea remain fourth with six.

Arsenal praise for Havertz

Mikel Arteta and Odegaard both praised Havertz after his influential display on Sunday. Odegaard pointed to his team-mate's intelligence, saying: "He’s a really smart player. He moves so well and takes a lot of attention from the defenders and it was a brilliant goal."

Arteta also praised Havertz's all-round contribution and current form. "He looks happy. He looks settled, happy, and some great things have happened in his personal life as well," Arteta said. "He feels fit, he’s training every day and has this routine right now. He’s scoring goals, but not only that – he’s also doing amazing work for the team."

What comes next for both clubs?

Arsenal will now switch their focus to European competition as they get ready to face Napoli on Wednesday night in their opening Champions League match of the season. Meanwhile, Chelsea will aim to respond to this domestic setback when they meet Leeds United in midweek Carabao Cup action.