After another disappointing performance from Kai Havertz in the 2-2 North London derby, the one thing on our minds as Gooners is, “Will Kai Havertz ever hit his peak form?”
Mikel Arteta sanctioned a £65 million bid for the German international in the summer. He had to have had a good reason for the move. Many of us don’t understand why we bothered signing the 24-year-old from Chelsea, given that he hadn’t lived up to his expectations even at Stamford Bridge.
That said, Nigel Winterburn, who played 440 league games for us, believes we are treating the Kai Havertz issue incorrectly. He believes that we, as fans, should stand with him and be patient as he adjusts to the demands we place on him.
Winterburn maintains that while we are in a good place in terms of performance and results and we are still unbeaten, we should not make Havertz a scapegoat; instead, we should give him time and judge him at the end of the season.
Speaking to the Daily Star, Winterburn said: “Every player, no matter the price tag, needs a settling in period. You can flip that around to Declan Rice, who has fitted in straight away, but players usually need time to get used to new teammates and a new style of play.
“There’s no doubt he’ll be a big part of the team and a big part of Arsenal’s success. You just need to support the guy and give him that belief.
“[Arsenal] have started well this season. The supporters are on board with what Arteta’s doing. The atmosphere inside the stadium is really good. That will be important going forward. You know what it’s like – a player has a bad run and becomes a bit of a scapegoat.
“But the fact that [Arsenal’s] form is so good and the mood is so good, it’ll give Havertz a bit more time to get things right and get up to speed. I’ve no doubt that will happen. It’s just been a bit of a slow start. Getting some goals will turn things around for him very quickly.
“A lot of people are [asking], ‘What goal return will we get from him? What’s he adding to the team?’ Listen, I’m always a little bit more reserved. I don’t want to start judging people straight away.
“There is nothing worse than when you join a club and you hear one or two mumblings inside the stadium. Social media is always going to say, ‘Why have you bought him?’ He’s struggled a little, but he’s here; he cost a lot of money, and I’m hoping he does a fantastic job, so let’s make that judgement at the end of the season.”
I suppose the primary issue many of us have with Havertz is that he hasn’t scored or assisted, which we expected him to accomplish.
Havertz is only six league games into the season, and with over 30 more to go, he can improve. Odegaard was not an instant hit when he first joined us on loan in the second part of the 2021–22 season, scoring only one goal and assisting on two others in 14 games.
Despite this, Arteta trusted him and signed him on a permanent deal in the summer of 2022, ignoring a tried and tested Premier League playmaker, James Maddison.
Years later, look at what a wonderful playmaker Odegaard is turning out to be. As Winterburn asks, let’s be supportive of Havertz. We can only hope that he improves with time because, after a £65 million arrival, he is here to stay.
Arsenal fans shouldn’t judge Havertz, they should judge Arteta instead. Poor Havertz didn’t bring himself to join us.
Arteta sanctioned the purchase and should be judged if the player fail to perform.
Arteta have been featuring Havertz in every games just to justify why he bought him, Havertz have been average because he can not give what he doesn’t have.
The problem with Havertz is not adaptation, it is lack of quality. Other players like Timber and Rice who were purchased the same to have since adapted because they have quality.
Thise waiting for Havertz to adapt may have to wait forever.
Though I do essentially, though with reservations, agree with this articles theme of giving HAVERTZ more time, as a realist I can see there is already anoverwhelming sense of Gooner anger and acute disappointment with his perfs so far
SADLY, TO TURN THAT AROUND WILL TAKE SOMETHING QUITE UNLIKE Havertz has ever shown, either in his Chelsea years, or this season with us.
Patience IS a virtue but is a very rare quality with football fans and not just OUR fans either.
Fooball fan reality! Sigh!
Bulls eye! Well spoken.
No scapegoat, no waiting to see, no patience. We dont make excuses, big teams dont wait. If he is going to perform, then thats the time we judge. While he isn’t, i see no point in keeping good players on the bench. He was a surprise buy, not widely accepted he was a good buy. He is proving what many said, he is not that great. If that changes in the future, give him his head, until then bench him. Waste of money at the moment but we all hope that will change. Just not while he taking good space up in the team. If it was Wenger, who had bought him, he would have been pilloried by many on here who are making excuses for Haverz. No excuses, just perform!!!!!!
Let’s see exactly what Winterburn is saying: We should sacrifice the careers on in-form players, ESR and Trossard, and be patient with out of form Havertz – all to justify 65M upfront plus 330K pw.
Absolute bull manure. Hogwash! (trying my best to be polite).
A signing that was not needed ,he might score a few over the season but will never be a game changer .
A complete waste of funds and to put him as our top earning was an insult to the team from last season .
I’m sure Artetas massive ego will result in us having to endure us having to witness him struggling all season (Willian anyone ).
Very odd signing especially for that price .
In the ATTACKING DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER role it is highly unlikely that a player will contribute significantly to the goals. Xhaka’s best season was his last with 7 goals & 7 assists.
Adapting to our formation wrt the inverted fullback makes it even harder to master the role.
For these reasons i lean towards Winterburn’s assessment calling for patience & calm. Its not like we are losing everytime the lad plays.
Havertz will come good, just a matter of the gaffer’s unleash of his beast mode.
If I recall correctly, Odegaard was hardly a fans’ favourite initially. Couldn’t see what the fuss was about. Moving on, he has more than shown his capabilities. Grealish was a little underwhelming in his first season at City. This is not unusual. Not every player parachutes in and becomes an instant success.
Somewhere in all of this, Havertz must know his Arsenal career hasn’t been a great success thus far. What does Arteta do? Keep playing him and hope it all clicks or bench him and be accused later on for not being able to develop his player? – which has occurred on JA over the last few years regarding other players
He must be given some game time – at least for the time being. Having paid a huge transfer fee, writing him off after such a few games doesn’t make sense, but the constant stream of articles is unlikely to improve matters.
Not an easy position for Arteta who made the signing
You can have patience with a Maquinos because you spent a miserly 3m on him and he is “one for the future”. You can have patience with a Vieira or Odegaard because you spent a “reasonable” 30m+ to bring him from another league.
But there can be no patience for a German international, PL player who cost a hefty 65m and, as I hear, is the highest paid player in the team!
There is absolutely nothing in Havertz’s play to suggest that he will ever justify the money splashed on him. The more I think of it, the more I feel that Arsenal has been deeply short-changed in this deal.
This is a signing that was always going to come back, and bite Arteta given what we have witnessed of Havertz at Chelsea. I focused on him in a few of the games and what I don’t like is that he seems to put himself in places where it’s difficult for other players to give him the ball. It’s one thing to be low on confidence but it’s entirely something else when a player is scared to receive the ball.
No. He’s on massive wages, is part of a team that is looking to win a title. I have ZERO patience for this guy. I just want him gone from this club as soon as humanely possible and for Mikel to wake up. I’m fine with other fans calling me names. I’ve laughed at Havertz for years when he looked like a clown in a Chelsea shirt and now he looks like a clown in an Arsenal shirt. Get him out
Sensible comments from Mr Winterburn.
@Corporate man.
You are essentially guilty of discrimination on income level and ethnic origin.