According to Graeme Souness, Mikel Arteta’s striking troubles are entirely his fault. The former Liverpool player claims that if Mikel Arteta had trusted Emile Smith Rowe, he would not have spent over £60 million on Kai Havertz. The former midfielder claims that what Havertz provides is similar to what Emile Smith-Rowe would have provided in this Arsenal team and that Arteta should have bought a quality striker last summer to rival Gabriel Jesus instead of buying the German international.
“Smith Rowe. I like him. As a midfield player, running into the box, clever passes,” Souness said on talkSPORT’s ‘Simon and Souness‘.
“Everything seems to be done when he’s sprinting, which I like. He’s a goal threat. And then Arteta spends £60 million on Havertz.
“So the point I wanted to make is that £60 million would be a fair criticism, I think. When building a football team, you want to strengthen the weakest part of the team.
“I think it was clear for most people that Arsenal needed another striker with Jesus, so you go and take Kai Havertz from Chelsea for big money when really you have a homegrown player who is every bit as good as him, so that £60 million should have been directed towards a striker.
“And that might cost him.”
Arsenal is struggling to complete a required striker deal due to FFP after their heavy spending last summer.
The Gunners have struggled in front of goal in recent games. They’ve created numerous scoring chances, but converting them has been a problem. Many people believe that a clinical striker can make Arteta’s team bad news for their opponents.
Some pundits have even stated, “If Arsenal don’t sign a striker this winter, they can forget about winning the Premier League.” Do you think they make sense?
Unfortunately, we’ll just have to wait and see if these remarks push Arteta and Edu to sign a striker before the winter transfer deadline.
Daniel O
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Well he is right about signing Havertz.
Total waste of a lot of money when we need it.
Not only, Viera, Jorginho and Raya are also unnecessary acquisition. I don’t think Arteta has generated 100m pounds in fom player sale and if you look at how much he has spent on bringing new players in that is absolutely unacceptable.
Nonsense. You must be a Spurs fan
When you are looking at a total outlay exceeding £130 million and considering we can now not afford to sign anyone much less a top striker you would have to say that signing Havertz was a bit of a mistake..
This pundit has hit the nail on the head. I’m suspecting that this kai thing will offroot Arteta from Arsenal especially if he insists on using him in that role. Our defence and attack play poorly because he isn’t just doing what Xhaka used to do.
Havevertz spends his time trying to impact the game by scoring. I don’t see him making the kind of combinations that someone in that role needs to.
Smith Rowe is nperfect for it and I think Zinchenko as well but not Harvetz.
Now the money is already wasted. Arteta must rethink his strategies and stop forcing havertz into a role where he cannot perform well.
To err is human. Let’s stop blaming and just give him time to rethink his strategies. When fit, Partey will be the right combination with Rice and Odegaard. With this, our attack will function better but will Arteta listen> he will try playing Partey in the defence!!1 Hahahah!!!
They are not the same kind of players. Havertz brings aerial advantage to the team. He can play as a striker. Smith is different. Smith is more similar to Trossard but he can’t use his second foot like Trossard.
What aerial advantage has Havertz brought to Arsenal? This is an indefensible position you’ve chosen. Havertz can’t use his head, in any of the two ways. Not to head balls or think. Who says ESR can’t jump? How many headers has Havertz scored? You’re taking on Graeme Souness on the most basic of evaluations, and you can’t win.
Huge mistake!! Havertz and Raya! Money that should have been spent on an elsewhere! The thing about Ramsdale is he already had a season with the defence and knows and understands them I’m sure better than Raya so I bet he would have put in better performances than Raya this season also! And messing up Emile’s progress, look at the player Saka has become esr might have turned out similar…. Definitely not happy about some of the decisions that have been made
The gaffer needs guidance in the transfer market, he hasn’t mastered the craft yet, but saying the big German was a bad buy, is a poor example as the jury is still out on this one.
You don’t understand opportunity cost
There might have been some miscalculations on his integration but remember the legendary Henry never hit the road running.
But yes had Arsenal bought Douglass Luiz instead, a player on form, though a different player, impact would have been more instant.
You got it! He needed to bring in a player that could make an Instant impact. The would make the team better and stronger, harder to beat. We are half way through and should be able to judge what we’ve seen so far! I for one would love it if Havertz was to make me and some others here “eat crow”! But somehow I don’t see it and never saw it when he was at Chelsea! This one decision really harmed our chances this season because arteta is trying desperately to make these transfers work!
Nonsense
You people need to stop with excuses for Havertz. How do you even mention Henry’s name in the same sentence as Havertz? Henry was never as useless, was a winger like Saka who could take on defenders. What on earth are you seeing in Havertz that even professionals like Sounness can’t see?
The difference is that Henry had undoubted talent whereas Havertz has nothing.
A bit hard but its true.
What does Souness know? NOTHING!
Havertz was not a waste of money. Toney would be a waste of money.
I don’t like Toney much myself but he would deliver more for Arsenal than Havertz ever would. Honestly, I believe he was the worst piece of business in the last twenty years.
Your ignorance about Souness says a lot, but the gall to claim he doesn’t know anything is downright stupid.
Go do some research. Watch old videos or something. Stop the disrespect.
Michael, if there is one thing Graeme Souness should know, it is what makes a good midfielder. You should check out Souness’s carreer, before discounting his opinion. I know whose assessment of Havertz I consider correct and it is not yours.
Arsenal as a team was making progress from last season and one would have expected Arteta to bring in players that will make an instant impact to the team. Harvertz and Raya are by no means necessary as their presence in the team have contributed to their retrogression this season. People will continue to wonder why Arteta took such decision against two young upcoming talented English players. We are yet to see whatever reason Harvertz was bought. Sounnes was absolutely correct to say that defenders and Ramsdale understood themselves better.
When will arsenal get it right to have a balanced team starting from the coach to players is a million dollar puzzle that pundits and fans will continue to ponder on.
I disagree.
The defensive unit with Raya in it has a very good understanding and he provides very good team balance overall. As for ESR, he has had injury and confidence issues. He’s not been back to a level where he could be a regular. It is fine to debate what Havertz has delivered so far but ESR has not been ready to step up. Whether he is now we will have to see. The loss of Xhaka has probably had more of an impact than might have been anticipated before last season.
Nonsense,talk about Liverpool issues not Arsenal.why did klop buy Endo yet he was having maclister,szolobozai,and Eliot?