Havertz admits defender who rejected Arsenal transfer is best he's ever faced

24 July 2023 , 15:03

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Havertz admits defender who rejected Arsenal transfer is best he's ever faced

Kai Havertz believes ex-Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain icon Sergio Ramos is the best defender he has ever faced.

Havertz is still getting to grips with life at Arsenal after his £65million switch from London rivals Chelsea this summer but has already netted one goal on the Gunners' pre-season tour of the United States against the MLS All-Stars last week. While on the other side of the pond, the Germany international was quizzed by his new team-mate Bukayo Saka.

Saka asked Havertz who the best defender he has come up against was and without any hesitation, the new Arsenal star replied: "Sergio Ramos." The pair faced off while the Spaniard was still donning the white and gold of Los Blancos back in 2021, during their Champions League meetings with Chelsea.

Ramos is widely regarded as one of the best defenders modern European football has ever seen. The World Cup winner is currently without a club after leaving PSG at the end of his deal earlier this summer.

Ramos is believed to be keen on a return to LaLiga, where he spent most of his career with Sevilla and Real Madrid, but there are murmurs of Premier League interest. Not from Arsenal, however, who the defender snubbed two years ago.

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The Gunners were keen on landing Ramos' signature once it became clear he would be leaving the Santiago Bernabeu in 2021, but he was enticed by the bright lights of the Parc des Princes and penned a lucrative £225,000 per-week deal with PSG.

Kai Havertz has named Sergio Ramos as the toughest defender he has ever faced

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Ramos' future remains up in the air currently, but for Havertz the target is clear - to win silverware with Arsenal. The 24-year-old arguably underwhelmed with Chelsea, despite scoring the winner in the 2021 Champions League final for the Blues.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta however has publicly heaped praise on him since he arrived last month.

"Kai is a player of top quality. He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield and variety to our play," the Arsenal manager explained.

Havertz struggled in the Gunners' most recent pre-season outing against Manchester United, who ran out 2-0 victors. He was hauled off just before the hour mark, with a midfield trio of the German, fellow new signing Declan Rice and club captain Martin Odegaard struggling to gel.

Josh O'Brien