It's fair to say Havertz had not lived up to his potential during his time with the Blues and many struggled to see what Mikel Arteta and Edu could see in the German. Havertz was one of four high profile arrivals in the summer of 2023, with Stan Kroenke forking out more than £200million on the likes of Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber, David Raya (loan with obligation) and Havertz.
"It's super exciting for me to be joining this amazing club and to be part of the Arsenal family. This club has such a big history, and I hope we can achieve lots of things," Havertz said at the time of his arrival.
“The mentality in the Arsenal squad is very high and you can feel that. That was one of the reasons why it has been so hard to play against Arsenal recently. The aim is to win trophies and I’m going to give everything to do that for the supporters and everyone at the club."
Havertz has certainly kept to his word as he has been in decent form since making the move across the capital. While it took him a while to get going and adapt to his new surroundings, Havertz flourished in the striker role in the absence of Gabriel Jesus and has been Arsenal's main No.9 for the 2024/25 season.
After contributing to 21 goals in his debut season at Emirates Stadium, Havertz already has six goals and one assist in 10 games this campaign. Always giving his all for the team and putting his body on the line when it matters, Havertz has turned into a crowd favourite at Arsenal and has certainly won over the majority of supporters with his performances.
The 25-year-old has proven both Roy Keane and Gary Neville wrong in the process, with the former Manchester United duo critical of the German last season. Speaking after Arsenal's 3-1 victory over Liverpool in February earlier this year, Neville criticised the club's decision not to sign an out-and-out striker the previous summer.
He told Sky Sports: "The thing about Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal team is, I don’t look at them and think that he can get any more out of them. I think he’s honestly achieving the maximum with this group of players and that’s a great job. So what he’s doing is fantastic. I just wish he had one player at the top end of the pitch."
Asked if it was a mistake not to bring someone in in January, Neville added. "Yep. [There was money available in the summer] and they spent £65million on Havertz. I watched him today Havertz when he’s moving into the box, he’s a different type of player, but he’s quite languid. There’s no change of pace into the box, there’s no change of direction, there’s no little darts."
Keane even questioned Havertz's personality last campaign and doubted whether the German was a prolific No.9. "He has done it on one or two big occasions, but I don't think he has been that consistent," said Keane.
"I think it is a good buy for Arsenal, every signing is obviously a bit of a gamble, they paid big money for him, and he certainly has the talent. The only thing I would question is has he got that big personality? You are on about leading from the front, I don't think he is that out-and-out striker. We will soon find out over the next few years at Arsenal but he's certainly a talented boy."
With Havertz's performances over the past 15 months, you could certainly say he has proven the majority of his critics wrong. The most exciting thing for Arteta and Arsenal's supporters is the best could be yet to come.
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