Owen Hargreaves has defended Arsenal’s transfer call to sign Kai Havertz from Chelsea this summer and how he has ‘so much talent’.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder added that Kai Havertz is somebody that is ‘misunderstood’ and someone whose body language echoes a certain Mesut Ozil, as he told talkSPORT.
Whilst the main spotlight this summer was on Arsenal breaking their club-record transfer for Declan Rice, it could be argued that the most debated one was Havertz.
That’s because of his troublesome season with Chelsea last time out and others questioning where Mikel Arteta will actually play him.
There is talk of the 24-year-old possibly replacing Granit Xhaka as a left-sided number eight – that resulted in a certain former Tottenham player saying he will ‘flop’.
But, for Hargreaves, he is backing the player to thrive, as he praised the talents in Havertz’s boots and how he can play in three different positions.
“I love Kai,” said Hargreaves. “I think he has so much talent. His body language is a bit like Mesut Ozil. I think he is misunderstood. He can play there (in the middle of the park) certainly in an Arsenal team that has 70% possession.
“He doesn’t have to be nasty. All he has to do is get on the half-turn and get his head up. I think he gives them a huge opportunity to rest Saka, to rest Odegaard and to rest Gabriel Jesus. He can play in all three of those positions. Plus, he can play deeper.
“I think the deeper one is the hardest one. But I think his talent is undeniable. What is he 6ft2? He is good in the air. He can do so much and I think with the issues Chelsea had, the ship sank and everybody went under with it. I don’t think you can judge anyone in those circumstances and I think Kai is in for a big year. “
Havertz will shine under Arteta
The big difference for Havertz between his new environment and his old environment is that his new home is far more stable.
Not only that, Arteta has improved many, many players. From the now-departed Granit Xhaka to a big-money signing such as Thomas Partey to a young gun in Bukayo Saka.
So, there’s no reason why, if Arteta wanted Havertz as his first choice, he shouldn’t thrive at the Emirates during these coming years.
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