There's one thing that Mikel Arteta is very clear about when it comes to his Arsenal squad. As things stand, they are not ready to compete at both the upper ends of the Premier League and the Champions League.
"At the level that we want no," the Spaniard told football.london when asked if the Gunners could currently challenge on both fronts. "We didn’t have the capacity to do that as well with the Europa League so it’s part of that evolution. We have made a lot of good steps and strong steps in that journey and we have to continue. That never ends. We want to be better and the rest will be better, then the margins will be higher and we have to start to live with those standards and improve and be smarter."
As they seek to bridge that gap though, bringing in a man who has scored a winner in the Champions League final is probably not a bad place to start. football.london understands that Arsenal hold a genuine interest in Chelsea's Kai Havertz. As things stand there is still a long way to go in terms of agreement on a fee for the player. The Blues want £70million, but with two years left on his contract, Arsenal value him at a considerably lower fee.
The news has raised eyebrows among many Arsenal fans who feel as though the German is not an ideal fit for Arteta's squad. Throughout his time at Chelsea, Havertz has never really settled on a position, and his versatility has arguably been to his detriment. When it comes to his chances of coming to the Emirates Stadium though, that could well work in his favour.
football.london has been reporting all summer that the Gunners are looking to bring in a forward player. Many have questioned whether this could be an orthodox number nine, and our chief Arsenal correspondent Kaya Kaynak was asked about this in a Q and A earlier this week.
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"Hello Kaya just wanted to know if arteta would go for a traditional no 9 type in the near future all our current ones are all similar profile," asked gurugvg.
"If Arsenal are to go for a forward this summer, it seems as though they're looking for a player who can play across the front line," Kaynak responded. "Arteta is a fan of versatility in his players so someone like Trossard would probably be on the agenda."
Havertz would certainly fit that bill. The German has played false nine, and could provide competition for Gabriel Jesus. He's also played in the number 10 role and could perhaps push Martin Odegaard in the right eight spot. On top of that, he has operated on the right wing for Chelsea in the past and could be an option to challenge Bukayo Saka too.
This ability to play multiple positions is something Arteta has looked for in almost all of his signings since he arrived at the Emirates. Havertz may not have been at the top of many Arsenal fans' lists, but it's easy to see why the Gunners are so keen to move him across London.
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