13 September 2023 , 20:14
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Kai Havertz has issued a rallying cry ahead of his return to Arsenal as he attempts to put a difficult start to the season behind him.
Havertz, a big-money summer arrival from Chelsea, has yet to score his first Premier League goal for his new club. Mikel Arteta's side are still unbeaten, though, and can extend that run to five games when they take on Everton on Sunday. The international break didn't provide much respite, either, with the 24-year-old playing in a 4-1 defeat by Japan which saw manager Hansi Flick lose his job.
Euro 2024 hosts Germany then took on France on Tuesday night, and made an immediate return to form under interim head coach Rudi Voller. It was Havertz who laid on their second goal, scored by Leroy Sane, in a 2-1 victory. And sharing a photo from the game on his Instagram account, Havertz wrote: "Good end to a difficult week for the team! Back to London for a big month ahead with @arsenal!"
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The summer signing still has the backing of his club boss Mikel Arteta. The Spaniard urged patience after Havertz drew another blank in the 3-1 victory over Manchester United which sent the Gunners into the break with 10 points from a possible 12.
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"I said to him yesterday, things are hard in the beginning," Arteta told Sky Sports after the United game. "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,"
Havertz himself didn't appear to be panicking at his lack of goals. Speaking in a press conference earlier in the international break, he compared his slow start to his challenging moments at previous clubs.
Kai Havertz helped Germany beat France (Bernd Thissen/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)“I’ve often had a phase and that you often only see the negative. It’s not the first club where I’m starting over. Of course, you want to be successful as quickly as possible, but I know that there are phases like that. I try to approach it in a relaxed manner.”
While Havertz scored a cup hat-trick early in his spell at previous club Chelsea, he netted just once in his first 22 league games for the club.. His debut season ended on a positive note, as he scored the winner in the Champions League final, and there is plenty of time left for him to make a big splash at his new club.