In recent weeks Chelsea’s German forward Kai Havertz has been linked with a move to London rivals Arsenal, in what would certainly be a surprising transfer to begin the summer window.
And as recent as yesterday, the two clubs agreed a deal worth around £65m, with completion imminent.
The former Bayer Leverkusen youth product has spent three seasons at Stamford Bridge after a £71m move as a youngster and despite scoring the winning goal in Chelsea’s 2021 UEFA Champions League victory, has failed to live completely up to the expectations placed upon him when he first signed.
In this blog, we’ll talk about what Mikel Arteta might see in the versatile attacker and how he could flourish for the Gunners.
On the wing
Despite primarily playing as a central striker in Chelsea’s ever-changing systems over the last few years, Havertz is capable of playing in many roles across midfield and attack.
Bukayo Saka played nearly every minute for Arsenal last season at right wing, and if Arteta is hoping to keep the youngster from burning out at a young age then Havertz would be an excellent stylistic deputy as a left footer linking up with players in the middle of the pitch.
Up front
Despite suffering a knee injury in the FIFA World Cup, Gabriel Jesus enjoyed a promising debut season in North London. However, with extra UEFA Champions League matches in Arsenal’s fixture list this year, Mikel Arteta will be looking at different ways of rotating their team when the Gunners have multiple fixtures in one week.
Jesus and Havertz possess similar qualities in possession – both players love to play intricate one-touch football with the players around them and can also hold the ball up effectively when it is played long to them.
In midfield
With Granit Xhaka looking to be on his way out of North London this summer, it is also a possibility that Mikel Arteta will be looking at Havertz as a replacement for him in the left-sided central midfield role that the Swiss international performed so well in last season.
Havertz’s height and athleticism will allow him to effectively cover many of the positions that Granit Xhaka found himself in last season. Despite playing much of his career further forward, he has shown that he is an able midfielder with a good work rate. On top of this, Havertz’s technical ability and ability to arrive late in the box is arguably better than Xhaka’s, something that would further increase the fluidity of Arsenal’s attack and give their opponents even more goal threats to worry about.
In conclusion, the potential signing of Havertz is one to be excited about for Arsenal fans.
Despite not completely living up to his price tag during his time at Chelsea, a new environment under a manager with a concrete set of tactics could be enough to see the German add a new dimension to Arsenal’s side in different areas across the pitch.
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