When Kai Havertz moved from Chelsea to Arsenal last summer, two strong camps were at odds.
The first consisted of optimists, primarily those who wanted to look at the game through data, analysis, numbers and, perhaps above all, other nuggets of hope. The second was the pessimists who got the Havertz fever beaten out of them after largely underwhelming in England since his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020. Neither side wanted to listen to the other.
Predictably, Havertz’s time at Arsenal is now somewhere in the middle. After 33 Premier League games for the Gunners, he has a wholly respectable – if not admirable – 11 goals and five assists, a feat made all the more impressive considering he failed to score in his first six games. But he’s developing into a player who needs those stats to make a meaningful contribution for 90 minutes.
Havertz is the paradoxical all-but-nothing footballer. With a height of 1.80 m and a technique that at times resembles an athletic unicorn, he should be one of the best players in the world. And yet he can only string, knit and stitch together each individual skill thread from time to time.
At full speed, Havertz is a multi-dimensional, two-way threat who can pass, dribble, head and score, bringing a unique blend of grace and determination. Worst case scenario is that Arsenal are essentially playing with 10 men.
Rarely has the spread between ceiling and floor been so wide that a team fighting for the Premier League title has a consistent number. In this case, the ceiling is the roof, and the floor is the earth’s crust. That’s what makes Havertz so charming and fascinating, perhaps a reason why Mikel Arteta wanted him, perhaps a small representative of his young and ambitious team as a whole.
Havertz’s performance on Tuesday against his former club Chelsea was at the right end of this incredibly long scale. In the first half he lacked the intensity and precision of the killer striker Arsenal had been craving, was a lost cause in the opposition penalty area and bordered more on a donkey than a unicorn. After halftime, he delivered two dagger blows to the Blues, making it impossible for them to mention his name in their social media updates as if he were their Lord Voldemort.
To really twist this knife, Havertz didn’t hesitate to show off his trademark: provocative, silly, smiling, Pingu-imitating celebrations. He beat Chelsea in the Champions League for the second time, but here he confirmed he was all-in with Arsenal. After losing 60 million, he scored again.
Arsenal remain in the market for a striker this summer and if they make the right move, Havertz’s place as a starter could be in jeopardy. However, he should neither be annoyed nor feel such pressure. He has a use regardless of who is in the first eleven. This is how Arteta is building this team with unique profiles.
During Marouane Fellaini’s time in the Premier League, he was the ultimate double threat in both penalty areas. You could use it when you’re trying to keep a clean sheet, to add size and physicality to your team, you could use it when you’re trying to score and play more direct.
Far more technically and physically sophisticated (and arguably prettier, but I’m not here to judge) than the Afro-haired menace, Havertz is a modern upgrade. Outside the league, you can find versatile target players who also double as no-nonsense defenders – that was actually Jurgen Klopp’s role as a player, which somehow explains his manic approach to football at both ends of the pitch – and Havertz is the luxury version of that offering.
Arsenal could have spent the Havertz money on a midfielder or striker who would have been a surefire hit. At least he’s not broke anymore. Arteta’s men may not win anything this season, but they have positioned their team well to challenge for titles for a long time.