Kai Havertz continues to divide opinion following his surprise move to Arsenal in the summer. The 24-year-old has done reasonably well since signing for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Havertz works so hard for the Arsenal team. However, he has not been the inspired addition Arteta would have hoped that he would be when £65 million was spent on him in the summer.
No top sides would come in for Kai Havertz if Arsenal decided to sell star tomorrow
And the transfer fee is arguably the major problem. Arsenal made him one of their most expensive signings ever. And Havertz also became the club’s joint-highest earner when he made the move.
Havertz Arsenal
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That suggests that Arteta saw the Germany international realising his full potential with the Gunners. Unfortunately, that has, so far, not been the case, with Havertz only showing glimpses of his quality.
And speaking on Highbury Squad, Steve Nicol admitted that he is yet to be convinced that Arteta knows something that everyone else doesn’t when it comes to Havertz.
“Arteta didn’t bring him to be a centre forward. Arteta brought him to play from the middle and get in the box, is what he did. And to pay £65 million on a gamble and on something that you saw but nobody else thinks he can do, and when you actually put him on the field and say who’s going to be right and who’s going to be wrong here, the proof’s always in the pudding. And the truth is that Havertz, he hasn’t been able to do it from the middle of the park, getting forward and putting the ball in the net,” he said.
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“So again, it comes to the situation where Jesus is injured against Liverpool. And then it works out because Havertz is a guy who likes to drop in. And so that means you get even more bodies in and around the Liverpool midfield. Once you get it, everything opens up and you get after him.
“I don’t think he’s underrated. I think he’s rated exactly where he is. He is not a top-class striker. He’s a good football player. He’s got a good football brain. But if he was for sale tomorrow, none of the top sides would be looking to buy him.”
Jury still out on whether summer signings have improved Gunners
What you have to say about Arsenal’s summer signings is that the jury is still out on whether they have all made the Gunners better.
But would Arsenal be any worse off if they had not signed Raya and Havertz in the summer? On current evidence, it is hard to say that they would be.
Certainly, plenty of Arsenal fans would feel that there were better options on the market for £65 million than Havertz
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