Having failed to reinforce the attack during the January transfer window, the pressure of leading Arsenal’s forward line rests on Kai Havertz’s shoulders for the rest of the season.
While the Germany international doesn’t necessarily fit the mould of a traditional number 9, he’s been making a decent fist of the situation scoring 18 goals and making 9 assists in 37 Premier League games since this time last year.
Most impressively, he’s only been absent from two matchday squads in that period – both due to illness last month – a record that has led manager Mikel Arteta to describe the 25-year-old as a “genetic powerhouse”.
While the Spaniard admitted yesterday that he was disappointed not to strengthen a forward line shorn of Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka, he believes Havertz, with a helping hand from Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli, Raheem Sterling and Ethan Nwaneri, can keep the Gunners challenge for honours on track.
“He’s played a lot of football but his robustness, his availability is unbelievable,” said Arteta ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final with Newcastle United.
“When you ask him, he feels better when he’s playing every three days. Against Girona, for example, we gave him a rest and then he felt fresher.
“He had a very demanding game physically against [Manchester] City for the role that he had to do so let’s see how he is. The players give you a lot of information but if you are playing well, you’re scoring goals, all this helps I think.”
Asked if it’s a possibility that Havertz starts every game for the rest of the season, Arteta said: “I don’t know, this is a possibility. Maybe we go through that scenario and he scores another 15, 18 goals. Can you imagine? That’s a good scenario!”
He added: “Genetically, he is a powerhouse. He is so well-built. He is a player that anything you ask him, he is happy to do: to run in zone six, to be very robust, to make long distances. His body absorbs everything. And then he really looks after himself.
“When you see the professional, how he lives his life, it is immaculate. He does more than any other player there. That is not a coincidence. And then I think he is so intelligent.
“He knows what is good for him and what is not. We know how to manage him and we believe that when he says something it is for the right reason, not because he wants to avoid something. When something works, don’t touch him.”
While Arteta is adamant that the departure of Sporting Director Edu did not impact Arsenal’s January recruitment drive – plans having been mapped out months in advance – it’s clear the club need a permanent successor in place sooner rather than later.
For the time being Jason Ayto holds the role on an interim basis and his to-do list is long and varied. The Gunners are said to be close to sealing an agreement with Spain international Martin Zubimendi and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Newcastle’s Alexander Isak are also on the radar. A new backup goalkeeper is also needed.
In the short term, there are no immediate concerns over the contract length of the squad’s biggest names, however, they will need to start having conversations with those whose deals end in 2027, including William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
“We have the Sporting Director which is Jason, it’s clear,” said Arteta of the current situation.
“He’s been [in control] since the departure of Edu from day one given full responsibility, all our support from that aspect. And what the club wants to do after that is not on me. It’s a club decision to try to appoint the person that they believe is the best and I will be in full support of that.
“The decision I think it will be done relatively quickly. Whether it’s Jason or somebody else I don’t know, but I think that decision will be done quite early.”
After no incomings in January, this is what we have to work with in terms of the front line & creative formations; with (5) fit forwards to choose from – with them possibly reaching top form & a 10 day break in Dubai coming up before the run-in. Alternative strike force formations: (With (21) possible matches left; including (14) league matches & (5) possible cup games & (2) possible finals. COYG versus Newcastle away! Just like Shitty we are due some revenge against this lot in a big way!) 1. Martinelli. Havertz Trossard (Nwaneri, Sterling) 2. Sterling Havertz Martinelli (Trossard,… Read more »
23 possible games left, 7 cup games begining tonight and 2 finals
I don’t think Stirling is turning a corner in his performance levels, but I do admire your positivity and dedication
What’s zone six?
Just googled it, looks it’s basically pressing the keeper or whoever has the ball in the box in front of goal?
https://www.sportsessionplanner.com/s/fHL4h/Defensive-Zones-and-Actions.html
I don’t know for sure, maybe you’re right, but I think he might be referring to heart rate zones. Basically Zone 6 is very high intensity running at a heart rate above your threshold (a rate that you could maintain for a sustained period of time). It would make sense in the context of him also talking about running long distances. I could well be wrong though.
I thought about that as I know about zone 2 cardio but since that’s already considered pretty strenuous I couldn’t imagine there being a zone 6. If that’s what Mikel referred to it really could mean Kai is a genetic freak.
Well he certainly is that just by virtue of being a professional athlete, and on top of that an extremely durable one. But Mikel was talking about zones on the pitch. Zone 6 is quite advanced so I believe he was referring to Kai’s ability to press into that zone, which requires a lot of running back and forth.
Zone 6 is an extremely high heart rate zone. Very difficult to keep running for extended periods in that zone. He’s ridiculously fit in other words.
It’s when we play Watford
Top bins. 👏
I thought he meant heart rate zone. Kai is so fit he has an extra one.
It the zone on the london underground system. We cover all zones.
Indeed a powerhouse. Even his worst detractors can’t say he squeezes every bit of energy out of himself for the team. And I’m not his worst detractor. Is he the ideal striker? Of course not. Should we have bought another one? Absolutely. But in so many ways I’d rather have him than many strikers who finish better but don’t do everything else he does that helps us win. AND he does score too don’t forget, 15 so far this season. A more clinical striker might have buried the first chance he had vs City but not had the stamina and… Read more »
i absolutely agree with all you say, but to answer your question, the better striker is the one who scores first
I guess the ultimate litmus test of priorities is would you trade him for Chris Wood?
Haha precisely. Feels like a not insubstantial portion of gooners would answer yes to that though, and that’s no bueno.
never, since he scored the scored the penalty against Bornemouth, it’s clear that MA is sharing what the dressing room feels.
I don’t think there are too many strikers around who can boast 27 goal contributions in their last 37 premier league games
Good post. Arsenal have always had an element of being the underdogs. It’s the part of our sporting identity that gets me invested the most.
Kai brings a bit of that romance with his imperfections.
I feel the plonkers out there who don’t think Kai is good really have no idea about football and no idea what they’re watching.
I was at at the pub after 5-a-side last night and was told that Havertz was crap. I very quickly told them that people only think that because they don’t actually watch him play and just see him miss a couple of shots on MotD.
Exactly, when u watch him actually play for 90 mins, you get to see how hard he works for the team. I am glad he is playing for us.
Word. It’s true he could be better in front of goal, but everything else he gives us makes up for that imo.
Only fans with great football knowledge can understand how good and important Havertz is to our team and system of play.
With respect, that’s a load of bollocks mate. Havertz was bought to replace Granit at left 8 and flopped massively in that role. We stuck him upfront to try and at least get something back and yeah he can grab a goal now and again but not what we need to be the clinical finisher that Salah or Haaland is etc.
I also think it’s people who hark back to a simpler time of 4-4-2, with a #10 who serves and #9 who feasts. That’s not a judgement or an insult, but I have a regular debate with a pal who just cannot see anything of any value in Havertz because he’s not clinical. I think it’s mad personally, but interesting to understand different perspectives…
I think so much of fan opinion depends on what I loosely call “optics.” It’s not just the event itself but how did the event *look* on television? Did it inspire you with confidence the way the player took the shot? Or did it leave you groaning? I think that’s where Havertz falls short with a lot of people. Regardless of the outcome of his actions he doesn’t inspire with his strength, speed or shot power, even though these are all traits he has.
Havertz still continues to get brickbats from Arsenal fans.
Does he miss good chances? Yes.
Does he often look cumbersome? Yes.
Is he a striker? No.
And that’s the key. He is being asked to play out of position, week in and week out, which is not his fault, but the clubs poor recruitment in the striking department. I think he’s a great player and will only grow as a leader within this group and am glad to have him at the club.
I don’t think he looks cumbersome tbh. He actually has great technique too. Also, he wasn’t missing chances for most of 24. I also don’t think he is playing out of position at this point – he can play 9, 8 or 10 now (or full back if you’re Nagelsmann). We clearly need other options as everything is on him right now, but I think it’s best we have a bit more faith in Kai. Maybe he will miss some more chances – but the recent narrative seems to be that a ‘proper’ striker would basically miss no chances which… Read more »
Very well said. I feel like the misses mostly started recently this season actually after he had a bad flu, and probably now also have to do with fatigue from the load placed on him now. The important part is that he’s back to scoring now even if he also occasionally misses a sitter. To me it’s mostly a matter of fitness and confidence with him and – mark my words if you will – I wouldn’t be surprised to see him hit a hat trick soon.
The thing is, if Havertz isn’t a centre forward what is he? I think he looks far more comfortable there than in midfield and what he’s asked to do is much more suited to his strengths in the right area of the pitch. I absolutely love Havertz as a player. If he was a natural finisher he might be the best centre forward in the game. He has everything but that, but even still he gives us so much. The missed chances are painful but he’s everywhere doing everything all the time, every game, to the highest quality. His stamina… Read more »
The “he’s not a striker” narrative is tiresome. He’s very different from Erling Haaland, but guess who had the better game and helped his team tonk the other? If you reduce it to how many goals he scores then he looks like an average PL striker, but with striker’s numbers nonetheless. If you look at his overall contributions on and off the ball though it’s clear he helps the team win in lots of ways. He adapts his game to how you want to win that day. He gives you 100% effort game in and game out. He’s an impeccable… Read more »
Excellent summation. And lets just remember that you’re talking about the HFB who recently surpassed Henry as France’s all-time top scorer.
He’s been poor for us in midfield and good for us up front, so I’m not sure the ‘out-of-position’ argument holds true. We don’t play an out-and-out number 10, and he’s not cut the mustard at 8, so (false) 9 actually is where he should be playing for us.
He’s got 27 g/a in his last 37 apps playing up front, that’s a (very) good return.
You say he is out of position, but what actually is his position? Imo,he’s looked better and more natural as a number 9 than in midfield and I think striker is his best position
Most strikers get a lot of hate from their fans. A quick review of the premier league strikers would show that it is really difficult to score goals. Havertz has definitely done way better than I thought. I had always thought that for 65 million pounds there is no upside to the deal but his availability (touchwood) is an enormous factor. In this regard even Giroud had a brilliant career even though he was never brilliant.
Giroud was brilliant.
Sure not a Benzema but a brilliant player nonetheless
Arteta really pushes his players physically. I don’t think our injury record is a *complete* coincidence. Saka is also a genetic powerhouse but he played practically every minute of every game in the last 3 seasons and inevitably got injured. There’s also other evidence of MA bringing back players too early like Partey where he told him to run back on the field even though he was clearly injured. I get it that you want your best players on the pitch all the time but a player ALWAYS wants to play and the manager needs to see through this sometimes… Read more »
Is there anyone on here who still feels that we made a mistake chosing Raya over Ramsdale?
Not me anyway. Last season it didn’t seem obvious Raya was an upgrade on Ramsdale. He had qualities I think were more sought after by Arteta, such as catching and calmness, but he didn’t seem as good a shot stopper and overall seemed mostly on a par with Ramsdale. This season however he’s gone up a level and there’s no question who the better goalkeeper is, or that signing Raya was the right decision. He’s been outstanding, in my view possibly our best player which is saying something and the best goalkeeper in the league. I think becoming the undisputed… Read more »
Raya, even last season, also had better composure on the ball and more of a willingness to take risks passing out from the back. Ramsdale was no slouch with his passing but I think Raya was more comfortable doing what Arteta wanted from his goalkeeper and that was decisive.
clear definition of having a bad reputation sticks with you. this guy scored and assisted over the weekend, yet everyone focused on his miss. speaks for itself really.
dude has been immense for the club since he joined, with those numbers coming from a player who started a lot of his earlier games as a CAM.
Haaland’s conversion rate: 20% Havertz: 17% In absolute terms, Haaland is 3% more clinical. In relative terms, he 18% more clinical. On average, Haaland needs 5 opportunities to score a goal, Havertz needs 6. Of course Haaland has a lot more goals in the PL, 19 vs 9 (about double), but Haaland also take many more shots, 92 vs 52 (around double, it checks out). Obviously the reason Haaland takes more shots is because City’s attacks go through him, whereas we are more varied. The point is, if we plonk 100k on a more orthodox striker, we will Have to… Read more »
That’s an incredible stat, thanks for that. Not to mention Kai doesn’t spend anywhere near as much time up front as Haaland does, so of course he’ll have less shots.
https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/leagues/47/stats/season/23685/players/big_chance_missed/premier-league
Anyone else feel squeamish about our German striker being labeled a “genetic powerhouse”?
Nah, bro.
No of course not, it was a comment about a footballer, not an endorsement of the third reich FFS!
As long as nobody had on a leather trenchcoat or was brandishing calipers I think it’s probably okay.
Hey, leave my calipers out of this!
If Jason ayto has been given full responsibility he’s not up to the task, because nothing has moved forward since the summer, or the plans are not in place at all. It can’t be both things, because if it were, we’d not have done little last summer and nothing in january.
I understand arteta can’t say this publicly, but it’s pretty obvious things aren’t getting done because we all see it from the outside.
Blaming Ayto, or Edu, or whomever when we don’t get what we want may be the easy thing to do but it’s not helpful or even correct way to think about what went wrong, if indeed anything did. So when can Ayto “mess up” and be blamed for a transfer falling through? What does he actually DO? Without having been a sporting director, my guess is he makes lots of phone calls, writes lots of emails, and fills out lots of papers. He coordinates with clubs and agents, makes inquiries, liaisons between the club and outside bodies. Doubtless there are… Read more »
does someone know anything more?
„Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign Athletic Club winger Nico Williams in the summer, triggering his €60m release clause“