Stewart Robson has raised doubts over Arsenal looking to bring in Chelsea forward Kai Havertz this summer by claiming that he ‘isn’t a top-class player’.
The former Arsenal player added that, with this possible Kai Havertz transfer, Mikel Arteta is ‘following Pep Guardiola‘ by how he is setting up his team to play with and without the ball, as he told ESPN.
Given that the Arsenal boss worked as the Treble-winning star’s number two, why wouldn’t you go down the same road as him?
That has been proven ever since Arteta has become warm in his seat at the Emirates and been able to bring in his own players.
That included the arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko last summer from Manchester City, who for large parts of the season, was outstanding, as he kept coming infield from left-back and even kept someone of Kieran Tierney’s quality out of the XI.
Nonetheless, Robson shared how Havertz might be used, as he stated that he has ‘pace’ and he is ‘good in the air’, but he just doesn’t show it.
“I think Mikel Arteta is going to follow what Pep Guardiola has done at Manchester City,” said Robson. “Play with Zinchenko coming into midfield, then you have two holding midfield players, probably with Rice when he signs.
“Then he will play two players, on the inside right and inside left position. I think Kai Havertz, if he buys him, will be in that inside left position and Odegaard will be in the inside right, then he will play with Martinelli and Saka down the other side and then Jesus down the middle.
“I think that’s where he will see him play. Do I think he is a top-class player? At the moment, I don’t think he is a top-class player. When he was at Bayer Leverkusen. I never understood what the fuss was all about. He is a player that has got a bit of quality, but does he dominate games? He has got pace. But does he really ever show it? He is good in the air, but how often do you see that?
“He is a player that’s going to have to come into the side and hit the ground running. If he is signed by Arsenal, then Arteta has to cajole him and get the best out of him. I think there is a player in there, but I think it’s up to Arteta to get the best out of him and play in the right position.”
Big move for Havertz
Whilst there is a lot of talk about Arsenal’s call to sign the 24-year-old, how about the player himself and how this is yet another big move for him?
Life ended poorly for the German international in Chelsea colours, but he still scored the only goal of the game as they won the European Cup a few seasons ago.
If things go wrong for Havertz at Arsenal, then he will struggle to play at the Champions League level again.
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