At Chelsea, Kai Havertz never really lived up to expectations after his £71million move to Stamford Bridge in 2020 — but Mikel Arteta believes he can unlock his potential at Arsenal.
The Gunners are ready to spend £65m on the Germany international and make him the second-most expensive player in their history. That underlines the belief Arteta has in a player he feels can have a transformative effect on his team.
Arteta has taken Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli to new heights, has helped Martin Odegaard fulfil his potential and now he will look to do the same with Havertz. The 24-year-old will prove a valuable weapon for Arteta in attack, and a big attraction forArsenal in their move for him is that he strengthens them in numerous positions.
Havertz is able to play anywhere across the front-three, while he can also operate as a No10 or No8.
At Chelsea, where he did score the winner in the 2021 Champions League Final, he was often used as a central striker, which is his least-preferred position.
A move to Arsenal will suit him, because he will become part of a fluid system.
Gabriel Jesus, for example, led the line this season, but he would regularly drift out left and allow Martinelli to come inside.
Havertz is exactly the kind of player Arteta likes to work with. He is technically excellent, tactically astute and works hard off the ball. He is at his best when operating in pockets of space between the opposition midfield and defence, something Arteta likes, as it helps Arsenal open up teams who defend deep.
“I don’t have a favourite position,” Havertz said last year. “I know I’m not a real No9, just waiting in the box and doing headers. I want to be influential in the game, get the ball, drop sometimes into midfield and start attacks there.”
Havertz’s versatility will give Arsenal more tactical flexibility, which was an issue for them as they faded in the title race last season.
Manchester City stormed ahead of the Gunners playing a 3-2-4-1 formation, and the arrival of Havertz means Arteta could replicate that system if he wishes.
Indeed, the idea of an attacking quartet of Martinelli, Havertz, Odegaard and Saka playing behind Jesus will really excite fans. A No10 or second striker role is where previous coaches have thought Havertz would operate.
He played there for Bayer Leverkusen in his final two seasons, scoring 38 Bundesliga goals before Chelsea signed him.
“I see a Dennis Bergkamp, Robin van Persie, Dimitar Berbatov kind of player,” said former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel.
“He can play in the half-position, because he has good runs, but he also feels free from the No9 and creates overloads to one side and he arrives in the six-yard box. He has a good timing for it.”
The comparisons to Bergkamp will excite Arsenal fans the most and there are similarities between them, not least with the circumstances in which they joined the Gunners.
Bergkamp arrived in 1995 following an indifferent spell in Inter Milan, but he thrived in north London after being given the freedom to express himself.
A mercurial talent like Havertz feels like he needs the same environment and Arsenal believe they can help him shine.
Havertz’s versatility will give Arsenal more tactical flexibility, which was an issue for them as they faded in the title race last season.
He is joining a young, hungry squad that, like him, have a point to prove after missing out on the title to City.
There will be pressure on Havertz to deliver, but he should already be prepared for that after his huge move to Chelsea three summers ago. Back then, many felt his next destination might be Bayern Munich or Real Madrid.
Instead, it is Arsenal, in one of the most eye-catching moves of the summer.
