“He’s an amazing role model” – Arteta praises Havertz development

It’s just over a year since Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka handed the ball to Kai Havertz to open his Arsenal account from the penalty spot in a 4-0 win over Bournemouth. For the German, who’d been struggling since his move from Chelsea, it proved to be a crucial turning point in his fledgling Gunners career.

Not only did the goal go some way to repairing the player’s patchy confidence, it also sparked a wave of love from the travelling supporters who feted him with a Shakira-inspired chant that quickly became a favourite on the terraces back home.

While his performances remained a little tentative in the following weeks, something had definitely clicked and from November onwards Havertz looked a completely different player. He ended the campaign with 14 goals and seven assists, impressed at the European Championships on home soil and has started the new season with a bang netting six goals already.

Ahead of a return to the Vitality Stadium, manager Mikel Arteta was asked whether he envisaged such development in the space of 12 months. “Probably not,” he replied, “but that [the goal at Bournemouth] was a turning point, for sure.

“I think the players took ownership, which is the best thing, they decided to do something for the player. That straightaway made him feel special, made him feel respected, admired that everybody was willing and wishing the best for him, he delivered.

“That day, I think the connection to the supporters went to a different level as well, everything started to click. Since then, the story is unbelievable, his involvement in every match and what he produces to help us win matches is incredible and very positive.”

He added: “I think he’s an amazing role model, the way he behaves every day, the way he is as a person, the way he lives his life, he loves to play football, to compete and, again, part of that, at the elite level, is to handle and manage difficult situations. I think he’s an amazing example of that.”

There were many raised eyebrows when Arsenal were first linked with signing Havertz and even more when a £65 million fee was agreed. Many Chelsea fans couldn’t believe their luck, especially as the deal helped them avoid a potential PSR points deduction. They weren’t crowing so much when the German scored twice against them in a 5-0 win in April.

That Arteta not only spotted the player’s potential but has since found the tools to get the best out of the player is definitely a gold star against the manager’s name.

“That was the idea, we believed he could do it, bring to the team certain things we didn’t have, certain qualities we were certainly lacking. But it was a big question mark because he wasn’t producing what we required at that level a year ago or two years ago.

“We believed that changing the environment could affect him in a really positive way,” added the Spaniard.

“Every conversation we had with him was very reassuring that you have a player that is going to try his very best to try to accomplish the objectives. And then you have to make it work. It was a difficult start, but at the moment we’re in a great place.”

Having sat out the international break with a slight knee problem, it sounds as though the striker should be available tomorrow.

Havertz wasn’t the only German on the agenda in Arteta’s press conference. Following the FA’s decision to appoint Thomas Tuchel as England manager, a debate has raged in certain quarters about the ex-Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund coach’s suitability for the role.

While most couldn’t give a fish’s tit about the colour of the England manager’s passport, the usual suspects have argued that the position should be filled by someone born on these shores. While Arteta understands that argument, he put a different spin on the appointment.

He said: “I understand the opinions and the feelings obviously but that’s a responsibility for The FA to say the first filter is only English managers or if the filter is any manager from any country and we select the best for the moment we are in right now.

“I understand it can be sad for some people to not have an English manager there and the history tells you how important this could be but I think I would take a lot of pride that a lot of managers, a lot of people would do anything to become the England manager. And that’s related to, as a foreigner, how we are treated in this country. How much we love the passion, the respect, the history and the way things are done in this country.

“I can say personally, that you feel so related to where you are, even if you’re not from here. I think that’s a huge thing that very little countries can say that.”

While Arteta made clear that he was never a candidate to take over from Gareth Southgate, he says his affiliation with this country is so strong after so many years that you’d probably struggle to question his suitability if he was given such a responsibility in the future.

“I tell you right now, the feeling I have, for me, this is like home. I’ve been here 22 years, I have that feeling towards it because I always feel respected, I always feel welcome, I always feel inspired by this country, by the legacy, the history of football and how you get treated daily. That’s something that as a country you have to be so proud about.”