Kai Havertz will be switching his colours to red as he goes
from west to north London for a guaranteed fee of £60m with £5m in add-ons.
But given that Arsenal have a multitude of centre forward options
including Gabriel Jesus, January signing Leandro Trossard, Eddie Nketiah - who
renewed his contract last year - and Folarin Balogun, who has returned from his
loan spell at Reims, it is a valid question to ask how Mikel Arteta will fit
him into the squad.
Arteta was one of only three managers to use the same
formation in all Premier League matches last season, using a 4-3-3. However,
Arsenal are very fluid in-play, often shifting into a very attacking 3-2-5 when
advancing the ball up the field which leads to an overload on the opposition
backline.
A system where the versatile German may be the perfect piece
to complete the Gunners puzzle in multiple positions as they head into the
Champions League for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
Next season to compete with the likes of Manchester City and
other European giants strength in depth is needed. Nowadays it isn’t just about
the first eleven but instead a core group of 15 players which Havertz can
implement himself into.
Speaking on Havertz Thomas Tuchel said: “I see a kind of
Denis Bergkamp, Robin Van Persie, Berbatov kind of player. He can play in the
half position, because he makes good runs, feels free from the nine and creates
overloads to one side and he arrives in the centre.”
Under Tuchel Havertz thrived as a right sided No.10 in a
3-4-2-1 often using pacey runners such as Timo Werner, and soon to be Gabriel
Martinelli, to create space and also arrive in goalscoring opportunities.
Yes he can play as a centre forward but what is often forgotten are the several games Havertz has played as a No.10 or 8 and even on the wing – positions the squad requires reinforcements as an option other than Saka and a replacement for Granit Xhaka who has been linked with a move back to the Bundesliga.
It is important to note that during his time at Bayer
Leverkusen he rarely played as a lone striker.
Under Peter Bosz Havertz in a 4-2-3-1 was deployed behind Kevin
Volland as a secondary striker or number ten on 84 separate occasions. He even
played in midfield 18 times and 35 times of the wing – predominantly on the
right.
Havertz will also allow Arteta to implement an
interchangeable front three as Arsenal did against Wolves on the last day of
the season. Jesus in certain instances would shift out wide, allowing Bukayo
Saka to dominate the central space.
The Brazilian one on one with a full-back is often able to
proceed down the line and pick out a cross for the Arsenal midfielders or
forwards to get on the end of as did Xhaka to break the deadlock.
The Swiss international enjoyed his best season in England
scoring seven and assisting seven goals in the league. With Havertz in a
similar role it could possibly result in an even bigger return as he is an
evident physical presence standing at 1.93m.
Havertz has been labelled as an expensive flop by many but
Arteta is aiming to revive his career in a similar fashion to Martin Odegaard.
Will the German be another player to leave Chelsea and thrive?
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