Havertz tipped to be Arsenal's secret weapon in Premier League title race
Kai Havertz can be Arsenal’s secret weapon as they look to topple Manchester City this season.
That’s the verdict of former City, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and England star Owen Hargreave, who reckons the versatility of the Gunners’ opinion-splitting summer signing will serve his new side well.
Eyebrows were raised when Arsenal splashed £65million to take Havertz from Chelsea. Largely because, after three seasons at in the Premier League, the 24-year-old German’s best position is still unknown.
They are already strong in attacking midfield with Bukayo Saka either side of Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli, and Emile Smith Rowe as back-up, and Havertz isn’t exactly an upgrade on any of them.
It wasn’t as if he was going to start ahead of Gabriel Jesus up front when he first arrived, either. Last week’s news that Jesus will miss the first two months of the season, however, has arguably vindicated the signing, given Havertz can challenge Eddie Nketiah and, if he stays, Folarin Balogun while the Brazilian is out.
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Hargreaves said: “People who are very versatile — and I was one of those — it does hold you back. But in the end he’s a good lad and a good team-mate, and if his manager says, ‘Kai, can you play off the left, can you play off the right, can you play as a nine?’, he’ll do it.
“Look, when Chelsea went through all the mess that they did, every manager picked him. That tells you he’s a player and the managers know it. At some point he will have to specialise but he’s pretty unique in his skillset and, while he gets a lot of criticism, I’m a fan, I’m on his side, I want him to do well.
“Sure, he could improve on his consistency and a lot of people might have been surprised Arsenal came for him but Mikel Arteta and Edu know what they are looking at, they know what he is going to be.”
Kai Havertz in action during pre-season (AP)Asked who gets dropped to accommodate Havertz, TNT Sports pundit Hargreaves added: “You don’t drop any of them. Nobody is happy to play second fiddle but he plays everywhere, and at times they have relied heavily on Saka and Odegaard, and they are lucky they are as fit as they are.
“But when Havertz played in Germany, he played on the right as a left-footer coming inside, then he played as a No.10, a bit deeper as a No.8, he has played as a false nine to great success.
“He has good timing in the box, he’s a good header of the ball, he can play when Jesus doesn’t, he can play when Saka doesn’t, he can play when Odegaard doesn’t and a little bit deeper, too. So the kind of kid who has that experience has great value.
“I like him and I respect the fact he left Leverkusen and could have gone anywhere but he wanted a challenge as a young boy and went to Chelsea, and he wants another challenge now.”
Hargreaves has been hugely impressed with Arsenal’s decisiveness in the transfer window. He said: “They know what they want. They got rid of the guys who they didn’t think fit and I like the fact they are still going for the young guys.
“Whether it’s Declan Rice or Kai or Jurrien Timber, potentially David Raya — which would be great, he’s fantastic, his kicking is crazy good — I like the fact they have stuck to what they have but they are adding different players.
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“Timber is a great athlete, great in multiple positions, Havertz is super-underrated and Declan is Declan, he adds a bit of steel that they need. It won’t be a cakewalk for City this season, they will be challenged for sure. Arsenal gave them a heck of a run last season.
“They competed a lot better, they made that jump from falling out of the Champions League to second, and they will make another jump because they have had a great window.”
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