Arsenal’s rumored interest in Chelsea’s Kai Havertz has raised eyebrows, as former Gunners player Ray Parlour has expressed his reservations about the potential signing.
Instead, Parlour believes that Brentford’s Ivan Toney would be a more suitable forward for his former club.
Havertz, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2020 for a hefty fee, has struggled to meet expectations during his three seasons at Chelsea. With just 32 goals in 139 appearances across all competitions, including a modest 19 goals in the Premier League, the 24-year-old has failed to justify his price tag.
“I don’t think that’s the right signing!” ❌
“They need someone to put the ball in the net. They’ve got plenty of backup play.” 😬
Ray Parlour shares his concerns on #AFC looking to bring in Kai Havertz from #CFC. pic.twitter.com/zZStS53Pwh
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) June 16, 2023
Despite this, the Gunners remain intrigued by Havertz’s potential and has entered negotiations with Chelsea, although the Gunners hope to secure a deal at a significantly lower price than the reported £70 million asking price.
Parlour, however, is not convinced that the German international is the right fit for Arsenal. In an interview with talkSPORT, he emphasized the need for a proven goal-scorer, highlighting the importance of finding someone who can consistently put the ball in the net.
“You need an out-and-out goal-scorer, if you’re Arsenal,” the club legend asserted. While acknowledging the Gunners’ strong supporting cast behind the striker, he believes that a prolific forward is the missing piece in their squad.
Official bid to follow for Kai Havertz as personal terms won’t be an issue — the player given his green light to Arsenal yesterday. ⚪️🔴 #AFC
Chelsea asking price has always been £75m but they will be flexible, sources confirm. Talks on. https://t.co/gB7ok1E74W
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 16, 2023
Despite Toney currently serving a betting ban and being unavailable until January, the former Arsenal man considers him a more desirable option due to his goal-scoring prowess.
Arsenal’s pursuit of a new forward is indicative of their ambition to strengthen their attacking force. As negotiations continue with Chelsea over Havertz, fans eagerly await updates on potential transfers and the club’s strategy for the upcoming season.
It remains to be seen whether Arsenal will heed Parlour’s advice and prioritize Toney or if they will proceed with their pursuit of Havertz. Only time will tell which path the Gunners will take as they strive to bolster their squad in preparation for the challenges ahead.
I completely agree with Parlour’s opinion as I think the club needs a different option in their attacking line than what Havertz would offer.
What’s your take on it?
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Haverz isnt a striker, i dont believe we are buying him as a striker. Parlour is wrong to compare him to Toney. Players will come and go this season. It depends who he replaces. Not a massive fan but we dont know the plan. If we are buying him as a no9 a big NO!!!!!!
Seems we are buying him for his smart hairstyle only. Edu and Arteta need more competition in the hairstyle model department. 70M for a new model, a bit too much IMHO.
🎯
BALOGUN! done brilliantly doesn’t make sense to sell him. I am wondering how true alot of these rumours are
I don’t think he wants to extend contract, so it makes sense to cash in now.
He played false-nine role well under Tuchel’s guidance, so Arteta might be able to use him like that. But I think he will replace Xhaka and compete with Smith-Rowe for that position
I’m sure that’s what Arteta’s planning. He plays better from midfield as he did at Leverkusen. His passing ability is top notch as well as scoring goals from midfield. Plus he’d be so beneficial to the squad since he can play different positions. Chelsea just didn’t know how to play him. Let the maestro use his magic wand to transform him.
I stongly and emphatically agreed with you even though i was not at first comfortable when i heard the news until that thought too
What if chelsea did not use him well?
Yeah. I believe Arteta wants versatile players, because of his dynamic formations and the number of games we could play next season
Havertz could also be our backup plan if we can’t afford Rice. Romano said Man City asked for Rice again on Friday
This is my honest knowledge on the whole Kia Havertz episle.
Arsenal intrest in the player is real, discussion has taken place between the gaffer and the player, to the extent where a bid was rejected, my sources says it was merely testing the waters.
The player is officially a midfielder and not a striker, contrary to uniform fans.
Yes he’s a versatile player, that plays in all the positions from midfield to the final third.
He is a player relies on his technical abilities and sheer intelligence.
He’s a master at holding up the ball, does it extremely well with his back turn to the goal.
He’s great if you are a striker that needs someone to feed off.
When in form can easily trick the entire opposition anticipating a pass only to score his self.
Now can he replicate all those I have mentioned above at Arsenal?
To a great deal it will all have to be taken on trust.
He has never really shown that consistency at the bridge, but there is an old saying that class is permanent.
It is criminal and lack of foresight on the part of edu ,( as a technical director), to think harvetz will solve our hold up play upfront. It’s a disgrace of colossal proportion that we have not brought out the cheque book to get Ivan toney who , in my humble opinion, ticks all the boxes needed to make Arsenal’s attack ferociously formidable. And 70mil for harvetz is a BIG NO!!!!. Besides he is too light weight for the hold up and aerial role. Again Ivan toney is the way
Ivan Toney is banned from all activity to do with football, including training, for 8 months. That mean the earliest he can even get involved is the end of January, and you think we should buy him? For what purpose? He won’t play next season, at all. He clearly has a destructive personality and Arteta is no Wenger. I don’t see him being able to rehabilitate Toney when he can play again.
NO BEN, HE CAN TRAIN FROM SEPTEMBER BUT NOT PLAY TILL JANUARY NEXT YEAR.
I would not personally want Toney but not for the reason you give, as your timings are incorrect.
He CAN and almost certainly WILL play from early next year onwards, having trained since Sept.
I see him as a positive, not destructive, personality, who made a costly(mostly to himself) mistake.
I also predict he will play for England, once back and playing.
He almost certainly will play a part next season if you’re correct, and if he can regain the form he showed before his ban he should definitely get picked for England, but Southgate makes odd choices, so who knows.
I suspect you’re also right that his personality faults seem to be mostly to his own detriment. He’s a terrific footballer but not what we need. He’s very similar to Harry Kane in the way he plays.
You and I seeing eye-to-eye is unsettling, Jon.
A VERY BIG MISTAKE!!!! MONEY BEING SPENT FOR NOTHING!!!
Watch ESPN: How Will Kai Havertz Fit in at Arsenal?
The video clearly explains logically why it’s a very big risk with this big sum of money.
Yet another side to it, is that we are helping Chelsea to sign Caicedo that we also need.
Why not just go in for Maddison or Simons or even look around Europe?
You’re writing him off before he’s even signed a contract. If we sign Havertz, he will need time to fit in and find his place in the team but once he does he could be a huge success for us.
I like Havertz and his playing style. The whole Chelsea team didn’t do well, not only him, so I don’t think it’s fair to treat him as if he didn’t deliver anything.
Yes, I would love to see him on my team, and he’s young and can be here for years. But my problem is where he fits. I see him as a replacement for Jesus and Martinelli (Maybe ESR).
For a price of 40-50 million, I would say yes and if only Balogun is leaving [Remember we need a replacement for our striker who can play in multiple positions].
Kai Havert is not only intelligent and technically brilliant but also got that unique German mentality. Discipline, confident and humble. Jorginho would have said much about him to Arteta. And I’m sure vice verse. The project at Arsenal is the most exciting in Europe at the moment.
He’s a risky signing for me, Hopefully there won’t be any issues about his confidence with him coming from the Chelsea mess. Hopefully we’ll be signing the Havertz from Leverkusen not the one from Chelsea.
But then again, I say give Mikel the players he wishes for so that there won’t be any excuses at the end of the season. Mikel’s team must deliver now, no more rebuilding.
The fact that Madrid and Bayern are/were interested is very encouraging about Havertz abilities, I mean Bayern and Real have top notch scouting systems. Also Henry likes him a lot, to him he reminds him of RVP.
And then Fabrizio said this about Arsenal the time.
“For Arsenal, it is always important in the line of strategy. They go for the player if they are 100% convinced. Otherwise, they prefer to wait,” he told GIVEMESPORT.
“Look at Raphinha, for example. Last summer, they wanted Raphinha but had no chance to agree on a fee for him.
“So, they decided to wait until January to sign any winger in Trossard. So, this is why, for Arsenal, it’s important to find the right player in the right position.”
Sounds like he’s our new Bergkamp🙏
Honestly, i don’t know what to say to this!
To compare the 2 is just criminal
Yet here you are saying it🤣
You guys don’t get it .Why would Arsenal want to help Chelsea to get out of their mess , when, at every opportunity they get, they prevent Arsenal from achieving their main targets by outbidding them. Is there some conflict of interest that needs to be investigated. Besides, amongst the top five leagues across Europe, there are better options, who cost less than 70m pounds e.g.(Dominik Szoboszlai).Havertz is a premier league flop for the last 3yrs. Arsenal should probably keep Pepe instead ,whose stats are better and won’t cost a pound. Pepe 20 matches, 1529min., 8 goals, 82%pass completed ,goal every 191min./Havertz 48 matches, 3437min., 9 goals, 81%pass completed, goal every 382min. Arsenal certainly deserves better than the both . It’s just a shame and disrespect to Arsenal fans for Arsenal to be giving Chelsea 60m pounds now, to buy the players we need. Chelsea wants both Caicedo and Lavia.For once, let’s leave them in their pain and not help them out their mess. I am just fed up with Arsenal buying these Chelsea flops. Wake up fans, Arteta has improved last season, but , he has made some bad transfer decisions, with only a 40% success rate. Arsenal must be ruthless ,ambitious and forward thinking to emulate Manchester city success. We don’t need Havertz. Arsenal needs (2l defensive midfielders, a center back, a right back, an attacking midfielder and a striker.
I thought the player’s value should be determined by their current performance individually and as a team;what has Harvert achieved in Chelsea recently to justify that astronomical fee Arsenal might be forced to pay?
Diaby,an excellent forward,is available for around that money but Arsenal’s obsession with Chelsea’s rejects seems not to go away!
We don’t need him. A better and upgrade on Jesus is what we need.
Yes I agree with him Kai is not a fighter and we need striker that can put defender on there toes definitely not Kai havertz
Arsenal should make hay while sunshine. I don’t believe in this noise making. Kai Harv and Diaby are both good, no delay before other clubs enter the race and snatch them. Lets learn from our past mistake. That’s the way it is. Good luck.
BIG MISTAKE. Havertz has nothing to offer Arsenal that Arsenal doesn’t already have. He’s a step back from Arteta’s position of bringing players who are brought in to improve the side; a very COSTLY one for that matter.
Well if we do sign him let’s hope he turns out like another KDB or salah ,because his stint in the England thus far as being nothing short of disappointing,could be the constant changing of managers at Chelsea or being played out of position,who knows but for the transfer fee being touted you would want a game changer for the money .
No room gambling;we have seen enough of Chelsea’s rejects
The biggest mistake would be in paying Chelsea’s asking price of a reported £70 mil. £35/40 mil is far more realistic and worth a punt.
Potentially a £100m gamble (including wages) on a player who really has struggled to make any impact…wherever…he has played in the EPL.Arteta might think that he can turn him into a creative number 8 and plat him as an upgrade on Xhaka…but I dont see that being possible.Arteta might be a top class coach but he isn’t a “magician”….
Ray Parlour is an idiot and not to be listened to. Havertz fits this team much better than Ivan Toney would. Havertz is a good player, waiting for the right team and system to exploit his talent. With the scoring pressure off him, he could well turn into our next RvP.
Let’s get him quickly. It’s a great opportunity. At Chelsea they put him in the wrong position. The guy is a pure centre-forward, who if he plays in his position will score a lot of goals.
The Havertz rumours are growing, just as my pessimism that we are stupidly going to sign him is also growing.
PLEASE GOD NO!
If, as I increasingly fear, we are intent on splashing out £60-£70 mill for this nothing special player, then I fear our biggest big money import mistake by MA so far, is possibly going to happen.
You might be right, Jon. But, and this is just my uncharastically optimistic opinion, we could be signing the next RvP. He was just a technically gifted young player until his late 20s when he became the most lethal striker in the EPL. I predict that is what we are potentially buying.
Ben Well, though I would say it , wouldn’t I, I DO think I AM RIGHT and those who think he could potentially be another RVP,
(ASSUMING THEY REFER TO HIS ABILITY, NOT HIS CHARACTER) are very wrong and foolishly overoptimistic, without any real tangible Prem evidence to show for their view.
I see only a very occasional scorer who wastes chance after chance after chance and does not impress me at all.
In fact, a sort of poor mans JESUS, BUT WITHOUT THE WORK RATE AND PRESSING ABILITY.
There in lies the beauty of the game, Jon; we will have to wait and find out. Whichever of us turns out the be right let us not gloat, but lament our own misgivings, and be not happy in victory, but sad that we could not see what was evident all along.
Ben With very great respect, I have not a clue what your part beginning with”but lament our own misgivings……… evident all along” refers to. Could you write it again in PLAIN and easier to understand language.
WHAT “was evident all along”? And WHY NOT be happy in victory, unless you mean that you regard this debate as a sort of battle between you and I, WHICH IT PLAINLY IS NOT!
As for your first sentence ,m which i do understnd, I would point out that UNLESS we sign HAVERTZ, “we will NOT be waiting to find out” at all , as I prefer to deal in realities and things that HAVE happened. before passing final judgement. My original post expressed only worry but no final judgement was made, simply becauise there is none to be made, RIGHT NOW.
Havertz has shown glimpses of talent, but how could any young player be expected to reach their potential in the current Chelsea side. Should your suspicions prove to be accurate it will come as no joy to you, I’m sure? And should I turn out to be right, I wouldn’t gloat, as although any signing comes with risks, we should be buying players with less uncertainty around them.
Ah Now I see your point and can easily agree with it. And thanks for making it clear. Yes, of course NO true fan wants to see us buy a flop ands esp not at the sort of fee being mentioned.
I fear we may well do so amd MUCH HOPE we dont fall into that expensive trap. I still though find a rather different nuance in your original post, when you said” Havertz fits theteam better than Toney and is a good player waiting for the right team and system”.
A.VALID OPINION, THOUGH NOT ONE I CAN POSSIBLY AGREE ABOUT . But in your post at 5.06, you then say” we should be buying players with less uncertainty around them”.
So that begs the obvious question to you; do you see Havertz, if he comes, as having NO RISK?
If you indeed DO SEE NO RISK, then we need to end this debate now, as there is NO possible meeting of minds at all. But respect to you, all the same.
Thanks, Jon. I consider Ivan Toney to be a superior player to Kai Havertz. A different kind of player, but superior all the same. However, Ivan Toney is banned for 8 months, and I don’t see Arteta even considering him for this reason alone. So, even with Toney being a better player than Havertz, signing him comes at great risk to the club. What I take away from watching Havertz play is what appears to be the player himself being unsure what he is meant to be doing, which makes me think he just hasn’t found the right role.
Kai Havertz might join Arsenal and become a cult hero, echoing RvP, or he might be another Nikolas Bendtner. We don’t know and it’s impossible to predict. Simply having talent isn’t enough. RvP always had great technique but it wasn’t until he matured and increased his physicality that he blossomed into the striker he was. Now, whether Havertz has that in him is impossible to say. Simple probability suggests it’s unlikely, but we can do little more than hope.
So, to roundup, buying any player comes with certain risks. Mudryk is a better player than Trossard and could go on to be a World Class superstar, or he could fizzle out into obscurity. That may depend on how long he stays at Chelsea and whether Pochettino can coach him properly. Likewise, Havertz could join Arsenal and bloom into a brilliant striker like RvP or perhaps recreate himself in the same way Joelinton has at Newcastle, or he could continue in the mold he has at Chelsea, which is show some level of technical proficiency, coupled with immense footballing naivety and utter lack of production. It’s really down to him.
Ben, as I said further up this thread, Toney is banned from training, ONLY until Sept.
He can and then presumably WILL train daily and be fully fit -even if not match tight- for his new start in mid JAN,(17th, I believe). Of course all players carry SOME element of risk but the art is in eliminating as much risk as possible.
Bergkamp and Henrty were considered CERTAIN stars before either even played their first game in our kit.
On balance of risk, I would not TOUCH HAVERTZ at all, personally.
I SEE TONEY AS HAVING LESS RISK, BUT STILL THINK HIM NOT THE RIGHT TYPE OF PLAYER FOR US.
I do not refer to him as not the right person, but as a player only.
Well you and I are in agreement over Toney, and you clearly have a deeper understand of his ban. I am hopeful of Havertz working out more than expectant. He has a lot to prove.
I think he will be fantastic in our team. Wait and u all will See the real Havertz from bundesliga! He only needs confidence and the right team. Chelski is not a Team. If he signs u all will love him in a half year!
I haven’t watched him at all other than youtube clips, he has a good height and good athleticism. He looks tidy on the ball and I’d imagine he plays the no8 in place of GX. He Ode and Rice possibly, new look more attacking
I hope Arteta switches formation, Havertz would work better in a 3–2-4-1, I can’t imagine him in the midfield with Odegaard and Rice, we could be overrun easily, just my thoughts.
Of all the places in the team we need to strengthen this summer, I do not see Havertz filling any of them.
I heard someone today liken Havertz to Martin Peters. I thought this to be a very good analogy.
I think Arsenal need a lot more strengthening before we can accommodate such a luxury player.
It appears West Ham are going to string Arsenal along until the end of the window. We need him in the team before then.
There is an old expression which I think is apropos to the situation, Edu needs to shit or get off the pot!!!
We should offer Brighton $80m for Caicedo and then see where the Rice chips fall. Just my view!!!!!
Remember De Bryune, he wasnt good enough for Chealse…where is he now…whom knows, might be a future star