Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has insisted Kai Havertz has "tremendous quality" and feels the 24-year-old could have a huge part to play in the Gunners Champions League efforts.
It has been a slow start to life in north London for ex-Chelsea man Havertz, with the Germany international boasting just one goal to his name all season. That single strike came from the penalty spot during a 4-0 win away at Bournemouth and as a result, the attacking midfielder has been under serious scrutiny.
However, there have been fleeting moments of promise for Havertz in an Arsenal shirt. Signed to play in that left-central midfield role vacated by Granit Xhaka, now of Bayer Leverkusen, the former Blues forward seems to be getting more joy when deployed in the false nine role he enjoyed during his three years at Stamford Bridge.
Havertz has played there against Manchester City twice (in the Community Shield meeting and when he came off the bench during the league clash) and also put in a positive cameo off the bench against his former side last Saturday.
Ahead of Tuesday night's trip to Seville for match-day three of the Champions League group stage, Arteta was asked if Havertz's previous joy in the competition could help him kickstart his Gunners career. The Arsenal new boy scored the winner in the final when Chelsea won the competition back in 2021.
Arteta replied: "That’s certainly one of the reasons, plus quality and the number of things he has already done in his career at his age, and then to improve the starting eleven as well because he has tremendous quality, and that is going to help us to be better."
The Arsenal boss' comments come just days after club legend Ian Wright issued a brutal review of the Gunners' performance as a collective in the 2-2 draw away at Chelsea last weekend. Wright claimed that some of the side's key players were well below their best and also questioned why Havertz was dropped to the bench.
" I just feel the midfield, Jorginho in there going back to his old place, no disrespect, with his lack of real drive and movement, I thought they had his number.
"And you know what? They had Martin Odegaard’s number as well. It was one of those where we needed to recognise quicker.
"I don’t know why Kai didn’t start, because I’m thinking to myself, we can’t have the running, it’s not working, we can’t get the ball to them to turn them and run. Havertz, for me, should’ve started."