12 March 2024 , 11:33
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Ian Wright has heaped praise on Arsenal forward Kai Havertz and branded him a "big game player" following his last-gasp winner against Brentford.
After netting just four times in his first 22 Premier League appearances for the Gunners since signing from Chelsea back in June, Havertz has scored in each of his last four matches. Having begun the season in midfield, Mikel Arteta has used the German as the sole No.9 in recent weeks and it's a formula that is working.
Havertz found the net in the 86th minute against Brentford as the Gunners secured their eighth successive victory and moved to the top of the table. And the 24-year-old has since been hailed by Wright, who believes Havertz, who also scored in the 2021 Champions League final, is a player suited to the big games.
Speaking on Monday Night Football, Wright told Sky Sports: "You just look at what he's done, in the time he's done here he’s doing the same things, obviously he wasn't scoring at the rate he is now, but he's a big game player."
This isn't the first time Wright has praised Havertz. After the ex-Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen star grabbed an assists off the bench against Manchester City in October, Wright urged Havertz to replace Eddie Nketiah. The German international set up Gabriel Martinelli's winner during the 1-0 win over City.
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"You know what, if [Havertz] doesn't go in there to lay it back down, we may not get that [goal against Man City]," he said on the Wrighty's House podcast at the time.
"Because some of the times, Eddie like I said, he did a lot of work, made so many runs. But there's times when you look in the build up when he's either too far on the left if it's on the right, or too far on the right if it's on the left.
Kai Havertz celebrates his winning goal vs Brentford (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)"And you just need that body, that focal point in the middle, that Thomas Partey can chip it in to, who can make sure that he chests it down to hold it and lay it back off. And I think that Kai Havertz coming on and doing that was absolutely brilliant for us."
Before his recent scoring run, Havertz was at the heart of criticism from fans and pundits alike after struggling to settle into life at the Emirates. And following their 3-1 win over Liverpool last month, Gary Neville slammed the "languid" forward and admitted they should have signed a new No.9 in January.
Asked if it was a mistake not to sign someone in January, Neville said on February 3: "Yep. [There was money available in the summer] and they spent £65m 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."
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