Arsenal new boy Kai Havertz has been compared to the club’s former playmaker Mesut Ozil as Paul Merson has identified the “only problem” with the German’s £65million signing. Havertz’s transfer from Chelsea was confirmed last week as Mikel Arteta’s outfit are finalising a £200m spending spree this summer.
Both Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber are set to follow Havertz to the Emirates from West Ham and Ajax respectively, but Arsenal icon Merson is wary of the way that the former Chelsea forward conducts himself on the pitch. The Blues were willing to part ways with the 24-year-old after failing to live up to expectations at Stamford Bridge, despite scoring the only goal in their 2021 Champions League final victory, as Arsenal felt that they could help him revive his Premier League career.
But the Gunners have been warned that while Havertz will improve them, as he is expected to take over from Granit Xhaka in midfield, Merson believes that his demeanour on the pitch is reminiscent of Ozil – who Arteta publicly ousted from the squad early into his tenure at the Emirates.
“Arsenal should be buzzing with Kai Havertz, he makes them a better team,” Merson wrote for Sky Sports. “The only problem I could see with Havertz is similar to that experienced by Mesut Ozil at Arsenal. If it’s not going well, Havertz doesn’t look too interested.
“That’s just down to the way he plays, it’s just the way certain players are, it’s not that he’s not trying. If you’re having a good game Havertz looks elegant, silky, but if it’s not going well, people will say he’s not running around or trying. That’s his only problem, but make no mistake, he improves Arsenal.”
Ozil, who retired from football in March, had been one of Arsenal’s star players following his big-money move from Real Madrid – but had his intentions questioned publicly by Arteta and Unai Emery before him. He was omitted from Arteta’s 25-man league squad and subsequently left for Fenerbache when his Gunners contract was mutually terminated with six months remaining.
Arteta, however, likely would not compare Havertz to Ozil and is clearly excited to get working with the German star. “Kai is a player of top quality,” the Gunners boss said at Havertz’s unveiling. “He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield and variety to our play.
“We welcome Kai and his family to Arsenal Football Club and we are all excited to start working with him when we start pre-season training soon.”
Havertz himself added: “It’s super exciting for me to be joining this amazing club and to be part of the Arsenal family. This club has such a big history, and I hope we can achieve lots of things. The mentality in the Arsenal squad is very high and you can feel that. That was one of the reasons why it has been so hard to play against Arsenal recently.”
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
