Among Arsenal supporters, few subjects are as delicate to discuss as Kai Havertz. There are those who, like myself, see Havertz as an integral part of this Arsenal team, and those who still believe him to be a waste of money. Whatever one’s particular feelings on Kai, none of us should overlook his role in the team and the effort he displays in every match.
Having come through the ranks at Bayer Leverkusen and becoming the Bundesliga’s youngest-ever player to reach both 50 and 100 appearances, Havertz’s abilities have long been recognised by managers and coaches alike. Himself an admirer of Mesut Özil, Havertz’s style of play has often been compared to that of Özil, Michael Ballack, Toni Kroos, and Thomas Müller.
A true utility player with outstanding technique and work ethic, we can perhaps see from these comparisons where Havertz’s greatest strengths and limitations lie: he is, above all, a team player. Willing to work tirelessly for his teammates, often to the detriment of his own personal glory and his standing amongst the club’s supporters, he embodies a selfless approach to the game.
It is understandable that, as fans who have been privileged to watch players such as Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp, Alexis Sánchez, Robin van Persie, and the aforementioned Mesut Özil wear the Arsenal jersey, we have high expectations of our star players. Yet, within this team, Havertz is every bit as important as any of those legends in his own unique way.
This enigmatic style of his evokes a mixed response, with his name cheered in one corner of the stadium and criticised in another by the same set of supporters. Is Havertz as good as any of those legendary players mentioned above? No, honestly, he isn’t. But he brings a little of all of them to the team in a way no one else has or could.
Havertz is almost as combative in his role as Patrick Vieira and Ian Wright, as elusive and tenacious as Dennis Bergkamp, glides across the pitch like Özil, and is as technically gifted as Robin van Persie. He is all of them, and yet none of them. And it is perhaps this unique quality that causes such division within the Arsenal fanbase.
We have seen him score fabulous goals that evoke memories of some of Arsenal’s finest attackers, only to miss chances that remind us of Marouane Chamakh or Nicklas Bendtner. But let us not forget: Havertz is not, and never has been, a striker. He plays there because, in this squad assembled by Mikel Arteta, he is the only one who can.
We may yet witness Havertz evolve into a striker like van Persie or drop back into midfield and fulfil a Granit Xhaka-type role. The latter seems the more likely of the two, as it primarily requires effort—a quality Havertz possesses in abundance. Whatever path he ultimately takes, I hope he succeeds.
Havertz is a decent individual who gives his all for the team and his teammates. He conducts himself with professionalism both on and off the pitch. Arsenal supporters should be grateful to have him at the club. It is also worth noting that he has already equalled his goal involvements from last season in 20 fewer games. Keep that in mind the next time he misses a chance.
Ben Dungate
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Nice to see a well written, balanced article…thanks Ben
It is interesting to note he has surpassed last seasons tally already .. just think if he had buried some of those chances where we and he would be
Let’s support our players COYG !
Nice article really 👌👍🏽
Since has been playing as a striker, he has been been getting on average a goal every two games. It is not quite elite level and he does miss chances but he is easily worth his place on the side.
Obviously we still need a striker, especially now Jesus is injured but that is not reason to run down Havertz.
This is a well written article. I think Havertz is one of those players that can’t be defined by position. He doesn’t really play any of the 11 positions as we know them,and therein lies the misunderstanding of him. He is the kind of player that is defined by ROLE rather than position. It’s like the inverted left back which also more of a role than a position.
No matter where he plays,his role doesn’t change much. He makes runs to create space for teammates, he serves as a target for goal kicks, he presses the opposition back line/goalkeeper,helps us defend set pieces and sometimes shows for the ball to play simple passes and link play. In addition to that, he can score,though clearly isn’t an instinctive finisher. That’s a summary of his role in the team.
I think he’s too unique a profile to be defined or compared to any single player . This is why it’s pointless to say he was signed to play the ‘Xhaka role’. Clearly they are quite different and have different strengths and weaknesses. Maybe it’s time to embrace the idea of ‘Havertz role’ and how his unique profile can be platformed to get the best out of the player and the team.
P.S. I think Havertz was signed with the idea that the inverted left takes most of the responsibilities associated with a midfielder,allowing Havertz to be further forward as a support striker. I think this idea would work well if we had an actual striker,with Havertz playing off of,behind and alongside this striker. Unfortunately we’ve never had one to see how good the idea would work.
Something tells me Arsenal fans would appreciate him more if they saw how his talents would work with a typical striker. Most 9’s would enjoy playing with this guy. Those layoffs and knock downs(like he did for Rice’s goal against Zagreb) would be a dream for any striker.
I agree. Imagine if he had actually got to play in a front 2 with Eddie! I know Eddie is a poor man’s Ian Wright but he could have benefited from exactly the type of plays you mentioned.
Nah
Eddie’s got to be one of our worse strikers in prem history
I still don’t believe we should have paid him £280k p/w.
Nonetheless, I’ve never blamed him for anything. It’s like asking Odegaard to play as a striker and then heavily criticizing him for not scoring to an elite level. It’s not his role. It’s all on the manager.
His elite positioning gets him in the goalscoring positions but his less than elite finishing means he will miss from 3 yards away fairly regularly.
I think he’s done well in that role for his skillset
that is where I am at as well – good player but too expensive.
But looking at the valuations being thrown around (and I know it is January) for “potential” transfers I am starting to think differently…
Ben Dungate; I’m at a loss for words regarding the players you picked to compare Havertz with. There’s nothing in Havertz that comes even close to what we saw in Van Persie, who sits at the bottom of the whole list. I’m wondering why you didn’t think of players like Adebayo, Bendtner and a host of others who wld compete fairly with Havertz. It’s offensive and disrespectful to mention the legends you did on par with Havertz.
I used them as examples, I didn’t compare him and clearly stated he is not as good as any of those club legends. I also tried to explain why he isn’t but what it is he is good at. You don’t have to agree but thank you for your contribution.
Thanks for the article Ben and for the thoughtful posts in response.
Brilliantly written piece, well done.👏👍
Thank you, Vamos!
Good article Ben, just wonder why you didn’t cover the question regarding his transfer fee and salary?
His style, workrate and visibility reminds me of another undervalued player, Gilberto.
Havertz is a real team player.
Thanks, Ken. Tbh in the nonsense era we live in I didn’t think it worthwhile. He is paid a mind boggling amount I grant you.
£280k/week to lead the league in “bog scoring chances missed” and the author is singing Havertz’ praises? Dear Lord, I am living in Bizarro world where up is down and black is white. Comparing Havertz as a battler to Patrick Viera? OMG, they must have some REALLY good drugs wherever this author is from…..and he is hallucinating hard off all of them.
As elusive as Bergkamp? I spit my drink out laughing at that one. The fact Havertz is the “only” guy on the team Arteta built who can play cf is not a credit to Havertz so much as it is an indictment of how poorly Arteta has spent £750 million building the team.
Emcc,
I totally agree. Some of the player’s Havertz is being compared to is laughable at best. What an absolute insult to greats like Patrick Viera and Dennis Bergkamp.
The mind boggles. 🙄🤦♂️
I think we probably have similar views in regards to the way Arteta has spent the money. And I merely used the club legends as examples of where I think Havertz excels.
Of course he is not the same player as Vieira but he works hard for the team, he battles every ball, he shirks no challenge and stands up for himself and his teammates. Is that not what Patrick Vieira did?
What Patrick Viera did was dominate the midfield for the club for almost q decade. Bergkamp dominated the opponent’s box and struck fear into every defender he ever played against. Most importantly, they won major silverware; something Arsenal will never do as long as Kai Havertz is the club’s best option at CF. For half the xfer fee and his current wages, Havertz is a player. But on his current wages and xfer fee, he’s not delivering anything close to a positive Return on Investment. A dreadful purchase of a slightly above average footballer who was surplus to requirements at Chelsea is all he will ever be. And no, nothing about his game reminds me of Bergkamp or Viera, both of whom are all time greats for club and country…..a status Havertz will never reach..
Thank you for all your responses. Some very thought-provoking replies both for and against. Regardless of whether of our personal views on his contribution to the team let’s all support him and the other players as best we can and continue enjoying the articles submitted to this forum that get us all worked up from time to time.
I support him and I disagree with anyone giving him or his family abuse online. But I am also clear-eyed about the fact that he cost too much and he is a million miles away from being the answer at CF. A backup CF on his best day. Not Arsenal caliber.