Kai Havertz says he’s excited to join Arsenal after completing a £65 million move from Chelsea.
The Germany international, 24, was on the books at Stamford Bridge for three seasons and scored the winner in their 2021 Champions League success but leaves the Blues with his former in a state of flux following last year’s takeover by Todd Boehly.
In contrast, after last season’s second-place finish, the Gunners are on the rise under Mikel Arteta and Havertz is keen for a first taste of his new environment.
💬 “I’m so glad to join this amazing club – it has such a big history and I hope we can achieve lots of things.”
🎙️ Hear from @KaiHavertz29 for the first time since becoming a Gunner 👇
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) June 28, 2023
In his first interview with Arsenal.com, he said: “It’s super exciting for me personally. I’m so glad to join this amazing club. This club has such a big history, and I hope we can achieve lots of things, and I’m just looking forward to meeting all the players, the staff, and yeah, it’s going to be exciting.
“I think the family mentality that the team has on the pitch is one of the reasons why it so hard to play against Arsenal.
“I guess they have it off the pitch as well. So the team mentality in the squad is very, very high and you can feel that. Obviously, there are so many talented players and there’s big room to achieve big things as well.”
Dear @ChelseaFC,
I would have preferred for you to hear my thoughts on leaving Chelsea first from myself before my thoughts on me joining my new team. This isn’t my style and it upsets me that you had to hear of it in this way.
I write this letter with a heavy heart to all… pic.twitter.com/Irnppj9kSE
— Kai Havertz (@kaihavertz29) June 28, 2023
Havertz also took the time to write a farewell message to Chelsea supporters, who are, as we all know, mostly w*nkers.
Taking to social media, he wrote: “Joining Chelsea three years ago was a big moment in my life and I’m looking back on these years with nothing but pride, gratefulness and lots of sport success.
“From winning the Champions League in my first season to winning the Super Cup and the Club World Cup and now saying goodbye. It’s been quite a journey that I will never forget.”
Under Arteta’s coaching, he’ll be great. Lots of neutrals saying Chelsea got the better end of the deal… watch this space!! Welcome, Kai.
I would be so worried if I were a Chelsea fan. They’ve lost Kovacic, Kante, Ziyech and Havertz. Mount is going too. Azpilicueta on a free. Pulisic rumoured to be off. And then more recent players like Koulibaly and Cucarella are off too. That’s a hell of a lot of premier league know how going in one season. And they seem to be replacing them with complete unknown quantities. I think Poch is solid and he’s probably a good man to have to stabilise. But I’d be very surprised if he gets them anywhere near CL football this year. Absolute… Read more »
Fucking delicious. I hope they get relegated.
Dislike the club almost as much as that lot down the road. In fact, I’ll say it here because it’s a safe space, Chelsea fans are worse than spurs fans when you actually meet them.
So Spuds are like small sibling you love to torment and Chelski are the illegally rich dude trying to ruin the locality …
The main thing wrong with Spurs fans is what club they support. But Chelsea supporters (this is obviously a generalisation with many exceptions) often have a nasty streak. Here’s how I illustrate it: is your idol Harry Kane (lots wrong with him, but pretty much confined to things he does on the pitch)–or is it John Terry?
It’s fucking great, isn’t it?
I feel very blessed as an Arsenal fan that our main rivals are known worldwide for being an absolute joke of a club. Even when they take 2 steps forward, it is quickly proceeded by 7 steps back.
But to have Chelsea in the bottom half of the table with a clueless lunatic at the helm, well, it doesn’t get much better.
God is a gooner.
It’s a despicable little outfit with loathesome fans who, thanks to a crooked Russian billionaire, temporarily forgot that they are actually a lower league club. May their collective teeth fall out except one – so they can still get toothache…
I would really hate to have you as an enemy mate. Thank goodness we’re on the same side.
😄😄😄
I see your point but that’s pretty much what Arsenal did in 2020 and 2021. Got rid of a heck of a lot of Premier League experienced players – many overpaid – and replaced with not so much unknown quantities but calculated risks.
Now, when will we get the timber to heat the rice?
Hope another Salah / De Bruyne post chelsea revival
I see he’s made the false assumption that most Chelsea fans can read
Brilliant
Hahahaha brilliant comment
Don’t know what your day job is mate, but the stand-up comedy universe is currently missing a genuine legend.
Welcome Kai! When he joined Chelsea I was jealous, what a talent he was. Never would I have thought we’d get the chance to sign him. Let’s hope his best football will come in the fabled red and white.
I was very underwhelmed at the start but I’ve come around a lot to the idea of Haverts. He’s obviously not a pleb, Chelsea signed him for 80 mil, he’s a regular on the national team and scored a winner in the champions league final. What excites me the most is that Arteta is so behind the signing. Whatever Mikel’s faults are, you can’t really doubt his ability to spot a player he likes and his vision of how he can fit into his system. In my books if we sign Kai, Rice and Timber, that makes us the second… Read more »
City will of course be very strong next season but if they lose both Gundogan and Silva, they have a lot to replace.
True. They both easily were main reasons for their Treble.
Once the guy is here, I like him. Can we name him Kaizert? Kaizer better pun but german history is so complicated.
There’s a supermarket chain in Germany called ‘Kaiser’ so I think it’s fine. ‘Kail Havler!’ followed by a roman salute maybe not so much.
*was. Kaiser is gone since almost a decade, they’ve all been turned into REWE and Edeka supermarkets. Also Der Kaiser is a title reserved for Franz Beceknbauer so it’s off limits.
If you wanted to give him the name of a supermarket then maybe Edekai?
Kaidl?
Teskai?
At that price he’s definitely not Teskai Value. Hopefully Teskai Finest.
I’m sure I’ll grow to love him but these things take time.
I’ve never watched him with much interest as obviously he was playing for blue cunts. But I was always impressed by his movement up front.
I just hope he is prepared to work his arse off tackling back etc. I’ve seen a few comments about his ‘languid’ style and we all know how that can end.
On the contrary, Kai is known for his exceptional workrate off the ball. Xhaka is definitely a bit better defensively, but Kai is young and a willing learner. Nothing Arteta can’t coach into him in terms of his positioning and duels.
Thanks I hope you’re right. Definitely intrigued to see how MA deploys him.
Don’t worry about his languid style: we have a Sergeant Major in Arteta.😄
Yeah I’m counting on that. Our 2 other languid types, MO and Pepe got shipped out. Like I said I’ve not watched enough of Kai to know if it’s even an issue. We’ll soon find out.
BBC say Rice deal agreed
Happy days!!! The club will wait a day or two for Kai news to settle before announcing.
Granit was absolutely excellent for us this past season, there is no doubting that. Havertz will be a relatively noticeable upgrade on him, though. I have no idea why Chelsea insisted on playing him as a 9, because he isn’t one. He’s an attacking midfield and fits EXACTLY what Arteta is looking for in the spot that will partner Rice.
I feel like Granit was excellent in terms of end product, excellent in terms of leadership and character, but he never striked me as the kind of supreme one touch ball mover that a manager like Arteta would want at that position, which is so important to controlling possession and getting out of pressure. In the biggest games, like at Man City and Liverpool, when we really need our midfielders to step up and string some passes together against the press, he often disappeared and couldn’t get into the game. I love him and appreciate him for what he’s done… Read more »
Red & white looks good on Kai. In his Leverkusen days, he used to wear red too. The new season should be quite exciting with our new signings and UCL. UTA!
Welcome to the only club in London, Kai! Never mind that rabble you started with. Just be glad you got out from under that plane crash with your career intact.
His announcement should be something like – ‘Look who we just pulled from the wreckage!’
I feel like he could have a better career at Arsenal than that other supremely gifted German midfielder. Let’s go
Willkommen
With Rice backing him up he can be extremely effective and dynamic. There’s no doubt about his talent. He does the hard stuff extremely well and I think under Arteta he’ll have a clear understanding of his role. He still has time to get better too. I’m actually quite excited by this signing.