Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has revealed the reasoning behind the signing of Kai Havertz after the German came under criticism for his opening two performances in a Blues shirt.

The Blues spent an initial £72.7million to bring the Germany international to Stamford Bridge this summer in attempt to freshen up his attacking options.

The 21-year-old arrived alongside compatriot Timo Werner, but he has failed to impress during his first two outings for the club.

Chelsea opened the new season with a 3-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion before losing to last season's champions Liverpool at the weekend.

Discussing Havertzs' impressions thus far ahead of his side's EFL Cup third round tie with Barnsley, Lampard called for patience to be put on the shoulders of the attacking midfielder.

"Kai has played in various positions through his career," the former Derby County boss is quoted as saying by The Metro.

"I think the main point at the minute with Kai is getting him fit. He is heavily, what I mentioned about the squad, in pre-season mode, because of the situation we aren’t in a position where we can bring in players, back-up players with big levels of money, that we can wait and integrate him into the team.

"Kai has come here to be a huge talent for this team and we just need to get him fit and ready and then the position will become very clear."

Lampard took Havertz off at half-time against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon and with the likes Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech both vying for a starting place, it will be interesting to see who starts from now on.

At just over £70m, you would have to think that Havertz will be a regular starter but Lampard does have some superb options in his squad.

Patience is key though, especially given the attacking midfielder's age. You cannot judge him off just two matches, he needs more time to settle in.

Who do you think should start? Havertz, Pulisic or Ziyech, or can more than one start...... Let us know in the comments section below...