Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta may have his own Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah this summer after securing the signing of Kai Havertz from Chelsea. The 24-year-old secured the switch across London earlier this week in a deal that could rise up to £65million, if add-ons are achieved.
The German international had an inconsistent spell at Stamford Bridge, showing quality and composure at some moments, such as his Champions League final winning goal against Manchester City, though other times he struggled to find his place in the team. Arteta has hinted at a use for Havertz in the midfield going forward, during his arrival.
“Kai is a player of top quality," the Spaniard told the official website. "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. We welcome Kai and his family to Arsenal Football Club and we are all excited to start working with him when we start pre-season training soon.”
The move could mirror that of De Bruyne and Salah, who had plenty of success after moving away from Chelsea in recent years. Former midfielder Florent Malouda believes that the Blues have issues developing players in the wake of Havertz's exit and pointed towards those two examples.
He told GentingCasino: "Whenever a player leaves, you always wish them well, but his [Havertz] departure underlines why Chelsea need to fix the problems they have when it comes to developing players. We’ve seen some brilliant players that were there go to other clubs and shine, the prime examples being Kevin De Bruyne and Mo Salah.
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"De Bruyne has just won the treble. I wish he was at Chelsea to win the treble, but if you asked him if he wanted to go back, he would say no. That is something that needs to be resolved. Chelsea is an attractive club, but players have flourished when they’ve left for lots of different reasons. This is a problem that needs to be fixed."
Malouda also believes that a move could reignite Havertz, adding: "There are so many examples of players moving onto a new club and everything falling into place. You also have to think about how important it is for the player to have a good relationship with his manager, especially the forward players, it makes a massive difference.
"He would have had a lot of conversations with Arteta who would have outlined where he will fit into the team and also how much belief and confidence he has in his ability. Confidence is a major factor in a player performing well and the fact that Chelsea have changed managers so many times, is part of the reason why the offensive players feel disconnected to the rest of the team and the wider project."
