Ian Wright suggests Kai Havertz should replace Eddie Nketiah in Arsenal’s starting XI

Arsenal legend Ian Wright has suggested that summer signing Kai Havertz should replace Eddie Nketiah in the Gunners’ starting XI after the German’s heroics against Manchester City.

Havertz came off the bench for the last 15 minutes against Pep Guardiola’s side and provided the assist for Gabriel Martinelli’s late winner at the Emirates. The 24-year-old, who joined the Gunners from Chelsea this summer in a £65m deal, also scored in a 4-0 victory over AFC Bournemouth just over a week ago.

Wright was left disappointed with Nketiah’s performance against City and with the Englishman having scored just twice across 11 appearances this term, the Arsenal legend has suggested that Havertz could take his place in the team.

Havertz’s Heroics Against Manchester City

‘You know what, if [Havertz] doesn’t go in there to lay it back down, we may not get that [goal against Man City],’ he said on the Wrighty’s House podcast.

‘Because some of the times, Eddie like I said, he did a lot of work, made so many runs. But there’s times when you look in the build up when he’s either too far on the left if it’s on the right, or too far on the right if it’s on the left.

‘And you just need that body, that focal point in the middle, that Thomas Partey can chip it in to, who can make sure that he chests it down to hold it and lay it back off.

‘And I think that Kai Havertz coming on and doing that was absolutely brilliant for us. Eddie [Nketiah], I thought he worked his socks off and it’s very tough. Against Manchester City, your chances are few and far between.

‘If you do get one, you’ve got to make sure you do the very best you can with it. At the very least you’ve got to do a lot of running the other way, a lot of that kind of stuff. And I think that it maybe took its toll on him in this game and he’ll probably be feeling a little bit disappointed simply because he didn’t get too many chances.’

The Impact of Havertz’s Introduction

Havertz’s introduction against Manchester City had an immediate impact as he provided the assist for Gabriel Martinelli’s late winner at the Emirates. His ability to hold up play and link up with his teammates was evident as he provided a much needed focal point in attack for Arsenal.

Wright believes that Havertz should replace Nketiah in Arsenal’s starting XI due to his impressive performances so far this season. Nketiah has struggled to make an impact this term, scoring just twice across 11 appearances, and Wright believes that Havertz could provide more of a threat going forward.

Conclusion

Havertz has made an impressive start to life at Arsenal and his heroics against Manchester City have caught the eye of Ian Wright. The Arsenal legend believes that Havertz should replace Eddie Nketiah in the Gunners’ starting XI due to his ability to hold up play and link up with his teammates.

Havertz has already