Arsenal are close to sealing a transfer for Chelsea forward and Germany international Kai Havertz, reportedly worth £65 million.
It’s a move that comes somewhat out of the blue, considering most of the reporting around Arsenal concerns Declan Rice.
No doubt Chelsea’s situation is a factor in the transfer. They need to trim their bloated squad before June the 30th in order to avoid FFP sanctions.
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Still, at $65 million, Arsenal are hardly getting a discount on Kai Havertz. As well as that, his wages in the region of £200,000 per week suggest he’s a first team player.
Where though, remains to be seen. Part of the reason Kai Havertz hasn’t lived up to his early-career hype is that he doesn’t have a defined best position. He’s also featured for a Chelsea team where players have not exactly been thriving in recent years. Just ask Romelu Lukaku, Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling.
Havertz is an attacking midfielder, or a second striker who can also play on the right wing. He’s played most of his football for Chelsea at center forward.
Theoretically, he can provide an alternative to Gabriel Jesus at center forward, Martin Odegaard at No.10 and Bukayo Saka on the right. However, he doesn’t appear to be joining Arsenal as a rotation option.
This begs the question of whether he’s a central midfield replacement for Granit Xhaka, who intends to leave the club. Havertz doesn’t appear to have the intensity or defensive awareness to be the midfield guardian that Xhaka is.
He does however have glorious talent and all the offensive instincts Arteta desires from that position. He is still young, and perhaps Arteta feels he can get the best out of him and teach him to be a midfield general.
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If he can, Arsenal will have a fantastic player on their hands and Mikel Arteta does have precedent for this. Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko have all developed into integral parts of the Arsenal team after not quite making it at another big club.
Arteta’s work with them as well as Saka, Martinelli, Gabriel, White and Saliba proves he can improve young players.
There is something of a tradition of world class players finding themselves at Arsenal. The likes of Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry made their careers there after failing at Inter Milan and Juventus.
It’s not a guarantee, but if Arteta can repeat the trick with Havertz, £65 million is going to look like a steal.
