If Onana joins Arsenal, will Kai Havertz be left on the bench?

(Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Despite Arsenal’s recent struggles, Kai Havertz has shown signs of development on the field. In recent weeks he has shown glimpses of the player Mikel Arteta hoped to add to his squad.

However, the Arsenal midfield transformation could continue this winter, with Everton’s Amadou Onana tipped to join. In anticipation of Onana’s arrival, I couldn’t help but wonder if Havertz’s starting status in the Arsenal lineup would be jeopardized.

If Onana is signed, I believe Arsenal’s strongest lineup would be a midfield of Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, and Amadou Onana, with Mikel Arteta deciding who between Rice and Onana plays the No. 6 role and who has a free role. And he also sees Martin Odegaard solely focused on contributing to the attack.

On why Onana could replace Havertz in the Arsenal midfield, the Everton midfield engine is no doubt capable and has continued to prove to Arsenal that they should have tried to sign him as soon as he popped up on their radar. Onana was linked with the Gunners even before he moved to Everton.

If Arteta is now pressing hard to sign him, I believe he has a reason for doing so. With Arsenal at risk of becoming trophy-less after failing to failing to progress in the domestic cups, the players signed this winter should be instant hits.

Arsenal requires a good squad to win the Premier League, the Champions League, or both. Only quality will get them to the finish line, and Onana could fit that bill.

Daniel O


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Tags Kai Havertz Onana

15 Comments

  1. If Onana is signed I guess Nkethia would be sold to balance the books. Havertz would most likely be used as deputy to Odegard bcos he played his role when Odegard was injured. He can also play as 9, he only need to be well coached for the role by Arteta. I really wish Onana is signed the dude is very strong and combative. He and Rice will make Arsenal midfield incredibly difficult to break or out muscled. But then I read on Daily Mail Arteta is interested in Zubimendy.

    1. Zubimendi is just an alternative to Onana if Everton refuses to let go of Onana or proves to be too expensive, though also arsenal aren’t sure if Zubimendi will adapt well in the epl that’s why they prefer Onana first to him who is pl ready.

  2. Havertz will never justify his transfer fee, never.

    MA/Edu overpaid, plain and simple. Maybe it was a moment of madness. How can a player underperform for 3 years straight, and yet a club comes in and immediately pays almost the same fee the selling club paid? And top of that, gives the player a hefty pay raise?!

    Absolutely needless spending. Sad thing is, he practically cannot be sold because no one will pay even half what we paid and no one will match his wages.

    That being said, Havertz was a complete passenger the first 3 months but picked up nicely in October I think. And ever since the end of December him, along with the whole team, has been garbage.

    1. Mikel Arteta onced said he Havertz will need 55 games so as to understand his system and style of play to bring the best of him,so that’s the difference between coach and fans one has patients the others loses it instantly if a player or players aren’t performing.Saka, Jesus Odegaard,Ben White and Zinchenko haven’t been on form in the bast 2 months or so yet no fan argue because they are fan favourite.

      1. So why didn’t Rice need 55 games to understand? Rice stepped in and was instantly effective.

        Perhaps the reason is because square pegs in round holes rarely work, and currently busy trying to force the addition rather than admit a legitimate B2B player was the wiser choice instead of Havertz.

        Wasted half the season just to realize we still need a midfielder, when we should have covered that in the Summer rather than gamble 65 million on Havertz.

    2. Spot on! HAVERTZ HAS SLIGHTLYIMPROVED, BUT FROM FROM A BASE SO LOW AS TO BE INVISIBLE.
      Incoming transfers under MA as a whole, are at best a curates egg, good inparts, and at worst , it could be said he has wasted a great deal of money on players not up to standard. I DO SAY EXACTLY THAT!

    3. It was really a moment of madness, now the only thing Arteta must do is admit that he made a blunt mistake and we on. Havertz was never an Arsenal player.

  3. I hope Arsenal sign Onana this January so that our midfield will not be easily out muscled again .As for Havertz going to the bench, that is how it should be cos Signing him in the first place was a misnormal. Arteta can make him a back up to Saka on the right, or as a backup striker .That is all Havertz deserved… as a backup..

  4. Havertz had 5 opportunities to score against Liverpool, and the Liverpool manager named his as the biggest threat on the day. If Arteta can work closely with him to stop him dithering in front of goal and pull the trigger first time, then we would have our 20 goal a season striker. He must be doing something right to get in those positions to score, all the other players on the pitch had at most only 3 opportunities to score compared to Havertz 5 opportunities. The Liverpool manager knows that on another given day, Havertz would have torn them to shreds. Arteta should work on Havertz finnishing and start him every time as a number 9 striker TargetMan. Just needs more and better training. Also I would rather Arteta brought Palhinin from Fulham as a midfield ball winner. He is the only midfielder to out play rice every time they meet, and that must show how good he really is. Palhinin and Rice playing together would be an unstoppable concrete wall.

  5. i thought Havertz was pretty good in the No 9 role, but of course for putting it in the net

    he got in to right positions to score himself from head and foot, and also a nice set piece from a free kick where he floated the ball to the six yard line which Gabriel didn’t quite make contact with his head and Saka probably should have used his rather than the high foot – with Allison flat footed then if either made a good contact then likely in

    but this about Onana, not Havertz, but these pages inevitably get sucked in to the same scape goat narrative – apologies for that

    Jorginho did fine vs Liverpool, but should Rice get injured you do not fancy our chances, so a high quality long term replacement for the end of life Jorginho, Partey and Elneny

    that is the first compelling reason

    secondly could unlock greater tactical flexibility, should Arteta be interested in flexibility (a big if)

    Rice was brought in to grow and develop his game, particularly goal participation

    so Onana could allow Rice to move forward to the left of our two No 8s in our regular 4-3-3, as we saw against Liverpool and a couple of other times

    alternatively Saka as the left No 8, while a bit out there and not necessarily dependent on Onana arriving, it is an interesting change up

    or potentially a 4-4-2, with Onana and Rice in the middle with wingers from Saka, Martinelli, Trossard, Nelson, Jesus, ESR

    front two of Havertz, Jesus, Saka, Nketiah, ESR

    unlocking Saka return to best form is the key for me, Saka is our best player, perhaps the only one capable of winning games off his own boot

    Henry conversion to our best ever striker keeps popping in to my mind, while many differences, particularly stature, I can see potential

    last season he was clinical in front of goal, while that has deserted him right now, we need a way to get it back, and more of the same is unlikely to be it

  6. Havertz should be given heated underpants for his specified place in the bench and a very warm heated tracksuit.

  7. I hope so – Kai is not producing – let’s be honest he’s bang average at this point. He’s not making a difference it’s as simple as that. Until he shows more urgency and quality he needs to be on the bench. Hopefully the penny drops with him sitting on the bench. Unfortunately Kai appears to have used the last of our money so his under whelming performances are now really irritating – we have no money for a rainy day it seems – it’s definitely raining for us at the moment.

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