04 September 2023 , 12:19
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Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit is confident Kai Havertz "will be a hit" with the Gunners, despite his struggles since making a big-money move from Chelsea.
The midfielder has failed to impress in Arsenal's first four Premier League games this season and missed an excellent opportunity to give them the lead against Manchester United. Arsenal ultimately went on to win the match 3-1 thanks to late goals in added time from Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus.
And Petit believes Havertz is still "suffering" as a result of Chelsea's struggles last season and that he needs to "improve his understanding with his new team-mates" as well as his "personality and character" in order to succeed at the Emirates.
"Arsenal need to be patient but I'm pretty sure he will be a hit with Arsenal," Petit told BettingSites.co.uk. "He was struggling at the start of the season and against Crystal Palace, he was lost at times on the pitch and wasn't sure of his movements.
"I still believe that with the way he plays up front, he needs to improve his understanding with his new team-mates. I believe he must improve his personality and character because he has quality.
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"He was suffering over what happened with Chelsea last season but he was the best goalscorer for Chelsea last season. He has to fight against his own personality and character."
Petit's comments come after Gunners boss Mikel Arteta compared Havertz's start to life at Arsenal to the courtship of his wife, Lorena Bernal. "I said to him yesterday, things are hard in the beginning," Arteta told Sky Sports when asked about Havertz.
Kai Havertz is yet to find his best form at Arsenal (Getty Images))"When I met my wife, in the beginning it was hard to conquer her and I had to try and keep messaging. In the end, she said yes, she wanted to be together and it was beautiful. If it is a yes on the first day, it is not that great. I think the crowd was really good with him today."
Arteta has repeatedly defended Havertz and urged fans to be patient with the German. "I tell you what I feel about him, I love him," he said before the United game. "I see his qualities every day in training, his work-rate is excellent. The stats are what is missing at the moment - to put the ball in the net.
"It's difficult to ask our supporters more, but my feeling is: 'give him love, and we will get the best out of him'. But we have some very, very beautiful examples in the last few years with players that we have given support and love, and they have felt that and just exploded. He has got a lot to give us."