The former Chelsea star made a slow start to his Gunners career and struggled to adapt to the demands of the midfield role he had been earmarked for upon his arrival.
Mikel Arteta’s decision to abandon that experiment and deploy the Germany international as a centre forward has transformed the 25-year-old’s fortunes and he is now among the first names on the Arsenal team sheet such has his form been since the turn of the year.
Indeed, it came as huge surprise on Tuesday night when Havertz passed up the opportunity to score for a seventh home game in a row when he deferred to Leandro Trossard and allowed his teammate to take a penalty against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Trossard missed from the spot and as a result Arsenal were forced to cling on for victory and may well have avoided such a tense finale had Havertz, who boasts an excellent record from 12 yards, taken on the responsibility in the absences of Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.
Wenger believes Havertz’s all-round contribution to Arsenal’s cause means he merits such a prominent place in Arteta’s plans, but cautioned that expectations must be tempered when it comes to his goalscoring output.
‘That depends on the way you want to defend or the way you want to play,’ he told beIN Sport when asked who he would pick given the choice between Havertz and England captain Harry Kane.
Arteta addresses injury concerns after 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk
Video Player is loading.
Thomas Tuchel's first message to England fans after being appointed head coach
3:36
'Sometimes ref is wrong' Maresca speaks after Chelsea fall to 2-1 defeat to Liverpool
0:42
Luxury villa where former Sheffield United defender George Baldock was found dead
4:40
Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal: Mikel Arteta post-match press conference
7:51
Erik ten Hag reacts to Man Utd's 2-1 win over Brentford
8:21
RB Leipzig v Liverpool: Arne Slot press conference
4:29
Slot shares his pride after Liverpool beat RB Leipzig 1-0
0:59
Gareth Southgate makes promise not to return to coaching 'in the next year'
1:32
'I'm not dumb': Cole Palmer references mockery in TikTok quiz with sister
9:57
Arteta says Saka is 'closer but still not fit' in pre-Shakhtar Donetsk press conference
16:25
'Our toughest opponent yet': Arne Slot previews Liverpool v Chelsea
8:25
Guardiola speaks after Stones header wins Wolves game in the very last minute
11:21
Guardiola applauds 'unbelievable' Haaland goal in 5-0 win over Sparta Prague
Kai Havertz during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 match between Arsenal and FC Shakhtar Donetsk
Kai Havertz has enjoyed a superb start to the season with Arsenal
‘Havertz is more of a contributor to the all around game, defensively he works very hard, offensively he scores less goals than Kane and will never score the number of goals Kane scores. He’s more of a 10-and-a-half or a nine-and-a-half.
‘Kane is the centre forward. Harry Kane played for a long time in a team that didn’t win but they have not won since he has left.’
Wenger, meanwhile, continuing the discussion about modern strikers waxed lyrical about Manchester City talisman Erling Haaland who returned to form in his side’s crushing 5-0 win over Sparta Prague last night.
0 Comments