Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Kai Havertez from Chelsea in a deal worth up to £65 million.
The Gunners will pay £62 million in three instalments with the rest of the cash dependent on the team’s and player’s success over the duration of his five-year contract.
The Germany international, 24, undertook his medical in Spain over the weekend and will meet up with his new teammates in a couple of weeks when pre-season preparations begin in earnest at London Colney.
We keep moving forward.
Kai Havertz is a Gunner ❤️ pic.twitter.com/76j5BStw9e
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) June 28, 2023
Havertz arrives at Emirates Stadium with a wealth of experience for clubs and country and is expected to provide competition for places in midfield and attack.
He played 150 times for Bayer Leverkusen before making an €80 million switch to Stamford Bridge in 2020 and has since featured 139 times for the Blues. Along the way, he’s made 46 assists and scored 78 goals, including Chelsea’s winner in the 2021 Champions League final against Manchester City.
📲 Incoming message from @KaiHavertz29 pic.twitter.com/be2S7MwMAS
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) June 28, 2023
He had two years remaining on his contract in West London but had indicated he would not be willing to sign a new deal. Needing to raise funds by the end of the month so as not to fall foul of FFP regulations, Chelsea were keen to strike a deal and negotiations ticked along at pace.
It remains to be seen where Mikel Arteta wants to field Havertz but it’s believed his versatility was appealing to the Spaniard. He has played across the front line for Chelsea and as a midfielder. Our new signing will wear the number 29 shirt.
Welcome to The Arsenal, Kai!
May I Havertz some Rice now?
BBC say Rice deal agreed
He is going to be brilliant for us.
I’m really excited. Sky just confirmed we have agreed fee with West Ham for Rice as well. We are well and truly back at the top table.
One thing all our new signings have is a willingness to play wherever needed and an engine to keep battling, never give up. With that innate drive, Arteta can get the best out of them.
Cobra Kai – Wax on, wax off.
Who is the prolific goal scorer in our team? If Man City felt they needed a prolific scorer last year, Arsenal too probably needs one this year. They get more goals from other players than we do.
Why do we need a prolific goal scorer? Arsenal scored well over 2 goals a game last season. What lost the league was disruption to defence in last dozen games and fatigue of overplayed starters. Arteta is tackling those issues.
A positive viewpoint in life doesn’t happen by chance, you have to work on it everyday.
Welcome Kai, welcome to the right side of London
Welcome to The Arsenal son. Go well.
If Chelsea were desperate why couldn’t we have got him for less money? Maddison appears to be going for 40m and he’s supposed to have the England international “premium” attached to his price.
True dat. 65 mil for a Chelsea dud. I hope Arteta gets this one right cos I just don’t see it…
Kai was drawing more attention from foreign.
He’s younger.
He’s more versatile.
And finally, Maddison has a very baad injury history.
Would have loved Maddison but perhaps our simple minds can’t see what big picture Arteta is painting
Welcome Kai “Bergkamp” Havertz. Become what you were meant to be.
Good player but there will never be another Bergkamp.
If you like to exaggerate, you do have Odegaard.
Sorry I think he can be great but that is just too disrespectful. Dennis B is one of the most ingeniious artists this sport has ever known
There can only ever be one God, but watching Havertz’s highlights from Leverkusen really struck me, I even said out loud ‘just like Dennis!’.
I do think he in time will be an upgrade to Xhaka, hard to see him having a dip in form coming less from Chelsea being a clusterf**k of a club than him suddenly becoming much worse as a player. I like this.
I expect escaping Chelsea and joining us will give him a massive lift
Mudryk must be looking at Arsenal and thinking “what have I done?”
Feel bad for him. Poor lad was sold without a care of his own feelings. Modern Slavery?
Sucks actually
He could just say no to chelsea…
Maybe not as easy as one thinks having an oligarchs/mafia owns him at Shakhtar Donetsk.
Just remember kids; always say no to Chelsea.
He’ll come good for us. Better club, stable manager, great squad mentality, talented player. Looking forward to watching him shine
Welcome to The Arsenal, Kai!
Hopefully this is the Xhaka upgrade that I’ve longed for. Surely he won’t be played as a striker
I fkn hope not. Because, you know, he can’t hit a barn door from 3 fkn feet…
Manager Mikel Arteta added: “Kai is a player of top quality. 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.”
So, number 8 it is then, I guess.
I agree. Plus: can be the sub of Odegaard at the final phases of matches at no.10 (or in case of an injury of the captain).
…but (again: in case of the absence of M.O.) it would also be interesting to see him (on the left) and ESR on the right in the 4-3-3 formation.
Great days ahead!
COYG!
I dig this. He’s turning forwards into midfielders the same way Pep has always turned midfielders into brilliant technically gifted defenders
Wednesday 28th June 2023: Arsenal sign Kai Havertz for £65 million quid. Spuds sign James Maddison for just £40 million quid.
Who would you say got the better deal?
Arsenal, if you trust whose leading this pack ….. ?
Spurs signing James Maddison is like have gold plated taps in a council house. Nothing else to be said on this….
6 unhappy people with gold plated taps in their council houses so far…🤣
Well based on the fact they’ve not even stepped foot onto the pitch for either side yet, I’m going with “fuck knows” on this one.
The only sensible answer in all that madness
The fact that we let Sp*rs have Maddison suggests that we think Havertz is going to be better.
We let them have the players we don’t want
Us?
Personally I’m much happier with Havertz. It’s been a great day. Now sign Timber and we have done some fabulous business. We will challenge again next season. I just had a score each way on us to win the champions league, 14-1
Can’t say. But I know who has joined the Club that will be competing hard for the title next season. It won’t be Spurs – even with Kane. And if he departs to Munich, it certainly won’t be.
Us.
No matter how good a player is, they turn to shit after they join Sp*rs.
In fact, I seem to recall some kind of chant on the subject of Tottenham and shit…
Us
Strange time to be asking more than a month before the season begins, isn’t it?
Given your normal hit ratio, this means Kai is going to do great for us,
while Maddison ends up on loan in Galatasaray.
Take a running jump Fats.
Spurs signed an injury prone player for 40m
Maddison is a talented player but he doesn’t have the work ethic necessary to play for arteta. Whoever plays alongside him at that lot will be doing double defensive duty.
You’ve got your players mixed up, spuds sign Maddison 40 million Arsenal sign troussard 27 million. Why would we need Maddison if troussard and Smith rowe can’t get in the team.
spuds have to sign an entire midfield this window, and they have to learn to play a new system- its going to be fun watching maddison throw his hands in the air when he’s got to do something besides take the odd free kick
They could well have to replace Kane’s goals as well. Hopefully levy thinks richarlison is capable and they use the money on sancho.
just relishing the idea of the press against eric dier when they try to play out from the back.
no shit, did you watch the timber scouting videos, press resistant doesn’t come close to describing him. An athletic zinchenko who can tackle. He’s a right back that can play like partey. Think he’s the key to havertz playing at left 8.
Why do we need Havertz then? Should have spent the 65 mil on someone who can put the fkn ball in the net for a change…
havertz will be playing in midfield not up front.
I know he won’t be playing up front but as you said, Trossard and ESR can’t get a starting role so why we buying Havertz? Instead, should have spent the money on a big target man who can lead the line.
Well the only one that’s really done badly out of the deals is Maddison, as the poor bastard’s now a sp*rs player.
Oh fats, there’s no pleasing you, is there. Interested to hear what a successful summer transfer window looks like for you…..
Are you having a laugh?
Definitely Arsenal. Havertz is a class above Maddison and not injury prone
Hmmm
Clubs interested in Havertz – Arsenal, Bayern, Real Madrid
Clubs interested in Maddison – Spurs and Newcastle (who were turned off by the price)
Madrid interested in Havertz?!! Lol, when 5 yrs ago?
They’re Spuds, their whole life is a raw deal and nothing is going to change that.
Leicester got relegated because of players like Maddison – not despite. He was AWFUL in the second half of the season. Not that he won’t get assists with Sp*rs, but he will ultimately fail because he’s massively overrated
Maddison ship has already sailed. Should have bought him in Emery age
I’m excited by this, not even to mention progress with other ambitions in this window. I’ve never seen us splash cash like this, in previous years it would make me nervous, but I have no doubt every new addition will be crucial next season. Complete faith
Crazy stuff, and we may not even be finished
This summer is taking too long!
Madrid wanted him before Chelsea and we are about to find out why
Madrid and Bayern both wanted him this year as well. They were supposedly scared off by the price and the wages. This could be a great transfer.
Yeah good strategy- let’s go back 5 yrs and sign all the players who were good in 2018 but then became shite.
Welcome on board the Arsenal, Havertz.
He already looks happier. Welcome aboard lad!
There was more than enough quality on show, before his Chelsea days to make me happy,
and even his time in the bad place was hardly terrible.
Forget the transfer fee, bonuses and wages. The most important number is going to be the one on his back. Nothing better than a good shirt number discussion. I think 2 might be available. I’ll take my coat.
Where are all the tons moaning about edu now.
Side Eye Kai?
It will be interesting to see how he’s used in the side, considering the fee we’re reportedly paid and the wages he’ll reportedly be on. i have some ideas about where he could play and how that might mean we line up, but perhaps the most exciting bit is that saka could have a game off every now and again! will we see havertz deployed off a striker if eddie is playing up top? will we see havertz in the 8 role? (i think this is where rice will potentially go, the pursuit of timber has me thinking about who… Read more »
Why is this getting downvoted? This is a strange forum sometimes.
All I can say is
Welcome Kai, you have my support from now till the time you say good bye to this club after winning all available trophies for us.
I’m so happy! Oh to be a gunner!
I watched him in Germany, he was one of the best 10s I feel like I had seen in a long, long time. Then he went to the idiots and they played him as a 9. I have a feeling being moved back into midfield will totally reinvigorate his career (which, admittedly, is always necessary after moving from the scum) but, based on what I saw of his skill set in Germany, he will be an absolute perfect replacement for Granit in the role that Arteta has that position playing. I predict big things from him.
He has none of Granit’s defensive qualities.