Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have had their say on Kai Havertz’ move to Arsenal and hopes of rediscovering his best form at Arsenal.
The German moved from the Emirates to Chelsea in a £65million move from Chelsea at the end of June, with the player’s versatility playing a key role in why Mikel Arteta went all out for his signature.
Havertz has already been used in a midfield role, as well as upfront as a number nine against Manchester City in the Community Shield. Havertz famously scored the winning goal in a Champions League final for Chelsea but his goal-record did not exactly flatter as he managed only 47 goal contributions in 139 appearances for the Blues.
Arsenal have made no secret about their intention to close the gap between themselves and Manchester City through their transfer business this summer, but the jury remains out on Kai Havertz and whether the German would be a success at Arsenal.
Neville backs Havertz to shine at Arsenal
“I just looked at Arsenal’s front line of Martinelli, Saka, Smith Rowe, Odegaard, Jesus, Havertz, Nketiah, they are all mobile, they can all play across the front,” Neville told The Overlap in partnership with Sky Bet.
“Havertz is a very good player and at Arsenal he will be a lot better than he was at Chelsea. I was surprised [Mauricio] Pochettino let him go, I thought he would’ve wanted to work with him.”
“It was one of those [during his time at Chelsea] where you’re thinking, ‘can someone get more out of him? Can you play him in a certain position to get more out of him?’ He never smashed it at Chelsea, no way.
“For me, he’s not a striker, he was playing as a false nine for [Thomas] Tuchel and he wasn’t really a striker.
“That’s my point with Arsenal, where does he actually play? He played up front yesterday [in the Community Shield] but he’s not a centre forward. It’s whether he can play in the position Granit Xhaka played last season as he’s been moved on, that’s where he’ll be perfect.”
However, Neville remained adamant that Havertz will silence his critics under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.
“There was a stat last year – he missed the most chances, it was ridiculous,” Neville continued. “He can get to 15-20 goals, in the right team.”
“You’re hoping that if he’s getting them [chances] all the time, that confidence, calmness and maturity comes and all of a sudden it goes from nine to 18 [goals], then you’re talking about a major player.”
