Ian Wright expects Kai Havertz to thrive at Arsenal
Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes the Gunners’ fans will be ‘very surprised’ by the quality of new signing Kai Havertz and is ‘very confident’ the former Chelsea star will thrive in Mikel Arteta’s midfield.
Arteta has hinted Havertz will play predominately in midfield following his £65m move from Stamford Bridge. The German international, who scored the winner in the 2021 Champions League final, occupied a more advanced position at Chelsea, often playing as a false nine.
But after Havertz’s move to the Emirates Stadium was announced, Arteta said: ‘Kai is a player of top quality. He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield and variety to our play.’
Wright confident Havertz will thrive at Arsenal
Ex-Gunners striker Wright expects Havertz to flourish at Arsenal and says supporters will be ‘surprised’ by his quality following three underwhelming seasons at Chelsea.
Much was expected of the Germany star following his £71m move from Bayer Leverkusen but Havertz flattered to deceive at Chelsea, scoring just 32 goals in 139 appearances.
Despite his struggles at Stamford Bridge, Wright ‘cannot help but get excited’ by Havertz’s move to Arsenal.
‘I feel very, very confident about that midfield and what that midfield can produce,’ Wright said on his Ringer FC podcast. ‘Especially with Havertz. Havertz in that role, I think we are going to be very surprised by his quality as well. Arsenal fans are going to love him.’
Havertz looking forward to joining Arsenal
Havertz said he was leaving Chelsea with a ‘heavy heart’ but insisted he was ‘super excited’ to join Arsenal, who finished second in the Premier League last season.
‘It’s super exciting for me to be joining this amazing club and to be part of the Arsenal family,’ the 24-year-old said. ‘This club has such a big history, and I hope we can achieve lots of things. The mentality in the Arsenal squad is very high and you can feel that. That was one of the reasons why it has been so hard to play against Arsenal recently. The aim is to win trophies and I’m going to give everything to do that for the supporters and everyone at the club. I’m now looking forward to meeting all the players and the staff when we come back for pre-season.’
Arsenal have also bolstered Arteta’s squad with the signings of England midfielder Declan Rice and Netherlands defender Jurrien Timber as he look to build on last season’s second-place finish.
Conclusion
Ian Wright is confident that Kai Havertz will thrive at Arsenal and is expecting the Gunners fans to be ‘very surprised’ by his quality. Havertz is looking forward to joining Arsenal and is hoping they can achieve lots of success together. With the addition of Havertz, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber, Mikel Arteta is building a squad capable of challenging for trophies next season.