Mikel Arteta defends Kai Havertz signing and insists Arsenal have the physical qualities to thrive in the Premier League

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has launched a staunch defence of his decision to sign Kai Havertz from Chelsea, insisting his new-look midfield possesses the physical qualities required to thrive in the Premier League.

The Gunners’ decision to spend £65million on the Germany international, who largely underwhelmed during three turbulent years at Chelsea, raised eyebrows, even before details of his plan to deploy Havertz as Granit Xhaka’s replacement emerged.

Arsenal fans were given a first glimpse of Arteta’s midfield blueprint against Manchester United on Saturday night and it became immediately evident that it would take time for the trio of Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Havertz to gel.

Arteta, however, is confident Havertz will prove a more than shrewd addition and that with the likes of Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny in the squad Arsenal possess more than enough options to cope with physical opponents.

Arteta: ‘Kai is one metre 91, so it depends what you mean physical’

“We’re going to have to find the right balance as well, but a year ago Granit could never play that as an attacking midfielder,” said Arteta ahead of tomorrow night’s pre-season friendly against Barcelona.

“So let’s try to get the work done. It’s the first time we played with four players inside, and three of them had never played for us. So three out of four, they never played together ever. So, tranquilo! Day-by-day, keep doing the right things, give people opportunity to settle them into the right things and we will be fine. You use a word that is ‘physical’.”

“So if I put Granit and Kai and I ask you who is more physical? What would you say? Physical is (also) to run, running behind the forward, to tackle. It depends. So we will fit in with the qualities that we have, that’s for sure. And the good thing is that we have options as well.”

“When we have a game that is more physical, we can become very physical as well. We have the right options.”

Arsenal Have Options To Cope With Physical Opponents

Arteta’s comments suggest he is confident that Arsenal have enough physicality in their squad to cope with the demands of the Premier League. With players like Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny in the squad, Arteta believes that Arsenal can become very physical when needed.

The Gunners have already shown they are capable of competing with the best teams in England, having beaten Manchester United in the FA Cup final last season. With the addition of Havertz, Arsenal now have a player who can add a different dimension to their midfield and help them compete for major honours.

Havertz has already shown glimpses of his quality in pre-season and Arteta will be hoping he can continue to develop and become a key player for Arsenal this season.

Conclusion

Mikel Arteta has launched a staunch defence of his decision to sign Kai Havertz from Chelsea and believes his new-look midfield possesses the physical qualities required to thrive in the Premier League.

With players like Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny in the squad, Arteta believes that Arsenal can become very physical when needed and Havertz has already shown glimpses of his quality in pre-season.

It remains to be seen how successful Havertz will be at Arsenal but Arteta is confident he will prove a more than shrewd addition and help the Gunners compete for major honours this season.