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Honest opinions from Kai Havertz on the midfield position at Arsenal.
Summer arrival Kai Havertz believes that the way Arsenal plays and the midfield position he has filled during preseason are both a good fit for him.
During his three years at Chelsea, the Champions League winner played a variety of positions as a changing cast of managers tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to make the most of a player who cost £72 million to buy from Bayer Leverkusen.
As part of the club’s excessive buying spree this summer, Arsenal paid an initial fee of £65m to sign the 24-year-old. However, it’s unclear exactly what role Havertz will play for the team that placed second in the Premier League last season.
When Granit Xhaka left for Leverkusen at the beginning of July, Mikel Arteta gave the impression that he was ready to play Havertz in the vacant midfield spot. As an alternative, Arteta proposed that the 6’3 Havertz serves as a “target man.”
Havertz has scored goals for Arsenal against both the MLS All-Stars and Barcelona during their preseason US tour. He has played a variety of positions within the same match but has primarily played in the left-sided midfield position.
When quizzed about his new position, Havertz was quick to say: “I really enjoy it, to play that position.
“I am more on the ball, more integrated in the game. I am really enjoying it. I think I have a lot of room to improve in the games, I am still adapting to the game and everything. So far it is working quite well.”
Havertz played as Chelsea’s primary striker for the majority of his final season there. Havertz’s performance with the Blues was never reliable, despite the fact that his tenure in west London will always be remembered for the Champions League-winning goal he scored against Manchester City in 2021.
Comparing Arsenal to his former employers, Havertz explained: “Obviously it is a completely different style of football than what we played at Chelsea. I think it’s a style that suits me very well. Of course, it always takes a bit of a while to get used to that again. I am two-and-a-half weeks here. It is going to take some time, but I am giving everything to try to perform on a high level.”
Havertz scored 19 Premier League goals for Chelsea in 91 appearances. Over the same period, 38 different players could better that tally in England’s top flight. Even though his new role is more withdrawn, Havertz recognised that: “[Goals are] important for my position, and also with my height. I want to score goals.
“It’s part of my game. I always have to arrive there. Hopefully, it works more times in the league now.
“The team is amazing and it definitely feels like home already. They have made it very easy for me to integrate with the team. It is fun to be with them, they are all so young and hungry. This is exactly what I wanted and I am very happy to be here.”
While many are concerned with where Havertz will play, the Germany international admitted that he faces stern competition to get on the pitch in any role next season.
“I think everyone has to earn their position in the team,” Havertz conceded. “You play when you train well and play well in the games. I think I have to also give everything in every session, in every game. That is how I get into the team. Not only me but every player. Always in a big club like this there is competition. I am going to give 100% to play.”