Havertz expressed his feelings of belonging at the Emirates after securing a 3-0 win at home against Bournemouth, stating that he is ‘so glad’ to be at the club, helping them in their title ambitions. However, things have been far from straight forward for the £60m German, and he has had to overcome immense adversity in order to earn the favourable reputation he now holds in North London. Before his rise to glory, Havertz was voted the worst signing of the summer window in a survey conducted by The Athletic, who asked a handful of agents to vote their best and worst deals. Furthermore, Kai Havertz had been subject to a number of brutal and unforgiving critics who felt that the early signs of potential such as his work off the ball did not paper over the cracks of his initial difficulties in front of goal.
“At the moment, Havertz isn’t performing. I was surprised to see him go to Arsenal. They could have got another player. It is difficult for him to find the right position. How Arsenal play is not the same as Chelsea – it’s hard for him at the moment. I don’t think he is going to be a success”
– William Gallas
“I felt pity for him on Sunday… I still believe he has great qualities. We haven’t seen this since he came to England and he’s struggling. But Sunday, he was hiding everywhere. If I was Arteta, I would put Havertz on the bench. Not as a punishment – that’s very important. Not as a punishment. But I would put him on the bench just to step back a little bit. He doesn’t have the confidence to bring what Arteta wants into the team… He’s scared. He’s scared of attempting things. He doesn’t dare to do anything on the pitch at the moment.”
– Arsenal invincible squad member, Emmanuel Petit
In a world of criticism and confusion surrounding the Kai Havertz signing and its’ heavy £60m transfer fee, Mikel Arteta fought off pressure by pleading to fans to ‘show him love’, claiming that Havertz would pay that love back eventually. This case amongst many others was a scenario in which Arteta yet again proved the majority wrong and demonstrated himself to be one of the best coaches in the world. Those who trusted Mikel’s decision to splash on Havertz have been rewarded, and those who criticised are currently eating their words, being left with no choice but to applaud the 24-year-olds’ performances.
With currently 19 goals and assists in all competitions, Kai Havertz has finally found a role to thrive in. Operating in the number 9 position, Havertz uses his intelligence to drift and exploit space, becoming crucial in The Gunners’ build up play whilst also adding a respectable number of goals to his game (13). Whilst Havertz deserves praise for his admirable determination, it is crucial we recognise the role of Mikel Arteta. One of the largest questions over Havertz both at Chelsea and in his challenging early days at Arsenal were what role and position he flourished in most. Despite challenges when starting him in midfield, the ability of Mikel Arteta to be patient and flexible in adapting Havertz into the Striker area on the field, giving the German an incredibly unique role to utilise his intelligence, power, and strength to create and score is truly genius and this role has been recognised by many across football.
“He can threaten you in behind and he can come to some good spaces and provoke a lot of issues positionally,”
Garry Neville on Kai Havertz
“how he reads the spaces, the timing of how he uses those spaces, how he moves in relation to his opponent.”
Arteta praises Havertz quality of ‘football intelligence’ which he regards as the 24-year-old’s biggest strength- he added in an interview with Sky Sports
Although initially causing divide amongst the fanbase with arguments over performances and his price tag, it seems Havertz has become a fan favourite with his name often ringing around The Emirates. The chant ’60 million down the drain, Kai Havertz scores again’ has very much become a satirical song of amusement for Arsenal fans, who weekly remind the footballing world of their premature criticism and the importance of giving players time.