Arsenal attacking midfielder Kai Havertz is one of the most talented players in world football, and he’s also establishing himself as one of the most versatile.
Here are 10 things you need to know about one of Arsenal’s newest signings, going back to his days with Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen before arriving in North London.
What is Kai Havertz’s best position?
This has often been a subject of debate, since Havertz has worn a number of hats during his young career thus far. He’s even played left back for the German national team. Havertz is at his best when he can play as a support striker or attacking midfielder behind a striker. As a lone man up top, his finishing isn’t consistent enough, and he isn’t enough of a presence to be a true 9. Further, he doesn’t have the unique skill-set of a “false nine”, which is a role that isn’t being used much in modern football because it really only works with specific players like Lionel Messi.
Havertz can theoretically play deeper than an attacking midfielder in the middle of the park, but since he’s not a great defender, it’s a waste of his talent to play him so far from goal. He is more of an agile dribbler in tight spaces than a progressor. But he doesn’t have the explosiveness or crossing to play on the wings. Now, he can play there in a supporting striker role off the left, cutting inside and linking play with a main striker, but that necessitates a right winger who can split wide.
Why did Havertz struggle at Chelsea?
Kai Havertz was crucial to Chelsea winning the 2020/21 Champions League against the odds, but, by and large, he struggled at Chelsea. The main problem is that the Blues didn’t have a true striker. They signed Timo Werner from the Bundesliga alongside Havertz, but he wasn’t an ideal fit either. He’s someone better at playing in transition and open spaces moving from wide to center to score his goals. Werner can’t be that presence to play in conjunction with Havertz.
Chelsea also purchased other attacking midfielders, acquiring João Félix on loan. That crowded out the middle of the field for Havertz, who didn’t have the right players to recycle possession wide and work with him. Havertz became a square peg in a round hole, and while he did so well to create chances for himself with his silky movement, his lack of finishing doomed him. Chelsea had to sacrifice him on the transfer market to recoup funds and consider their next move for a true striker.
How good was Kai Havertz in the Bundesliga?
There’s a reason why Chelsea made Havertz their, at the time, second-most expensive transfer at 84 million euros. Even Zinédine Zidane was after his signature at Real Madrid, but they could not make signings during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Havertz is one of the most talented young players in the history of the Bundesliga. That may sound like an exaggeration, but he was a phenom, leading the way for Bayer Leverkusen. Havertz scored 29 goals with 9 assists in his final two seasons with Die Werkself before even turning 21, establishing himself as one of the best goal-scorers in the league despite not being a true striker.
Why did Arsenal pay so much for Havertz?
This past summer, Arsenal decided to sign Kai Havertz from rivals Chelsea, spending a whopping 65 million pounds in order to bring in a player who was averaging well under 10 goal contributions per game in his three Premier League seasons with the rival Blues.
However, Mikel Arteta likely saw the pure talent in Havertz and his ability to work in tight spaces and create chances from absolutely nothing. Even though he didn’t score often for Chelsea, some of his goals – and almost-goals – were absolutely delightful. His first touch, finessed finishes, and little flicks through crowds could make him the kind of player who serves as an impact sub or a key starter linking play between wingers Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, all-around striker Gabriel Jesus, and midfield leader Martin Ødegaard. There was even speculation of Ødegaard and Havertz forming an attacking midfield tandem akin to what Pep Guardiola did with Ilkay Gündogan and Kevin De Bruyne in the 2022/23 season.
What is Havertz’s current role with Arsenal?
Since joining Arsenal, Kai Havertz has started eight matches with four additional appearances off the bench in the Premier League. He has been used as a jack-of-all-trades by Arteta. Havertz sometimes comes off the bench to change the game in the attacking midfield or at striker. He has played in wide positions in the midfield, in the midfield of a 4-3-3, or in his more favored roles as a 10 or 9 in the starting lineup.
This season, Havertz has shown more defensive intensity than any time in the past, making him more capable of playing in positions a little further from the goal. He has shown more grit in how he holds up play and wins possession, which means that if his scoring touch isn’t there, Havertz is still an asset to Arsenal. Though he only has one goal and one assist, Havertz hasn’t been as disappointing as the numbers indicate because of how much more mature he is playing under Arteta. Like Dominik Szoboszlai at Liverpool, he has changed his game so that he can be a left-sided midfielder in a 4-3-3.
What has been Havertz’s best season?
Although Kai Havertz had a very good Champions League campaign in 2020/21 when Chelsea won the tournament, he was quiet in his first Premier League campaign with just four goals and three assists. So his best overall season actually occurred prior to arriving in London.
Depending on what you value most, Havertz’s best season was either in 2018/19 or 2019/20 with Bayer Leverkusen. In 18/19, the German midfielder scored 17 goals with 3 assists, averaging 2.9 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game. In 19/20, Havertz nearly equaled those goal contributions with 12 and 6, playing a more creative role with two key passes per game – doubling his average from the previous season. Furthermore, the then-20-year-old upped his average to three combined dribbles and fouls drawn per match.
Why is Kai Havertz playing LB for Germany?
Recently, Julian Nagelsmann experimented with Kai Havertz at the left back position. Havertz had never played there before, but he was willing to do so in order to help the team. The 24-year-old impressed in this position, scoring in the fifth minute (on a set piece) of a 3-2 loss to Turkey in Berlin. Nagelsmann praised Havertz’s performance, even if Football Twitter pointed out basic errors, noting that this was his first time playing the position. He called it a big opportunity for Havertz to contribute at the next European Championships, with all eyes on Germany given their dreadful performances lately.
Critics will wonder why Havertz cannot get into a struggling national team as an attacking player, while others will praise the player for being willing to try a unique position. It’s been a challenge for managers to find his best role in the modern game, but they know there is so much talent in him.
What is Havertz’s playing style?
Kai Havertz is such a difficult player to pinpoint. He is an elegant footballer with the highest levels of technical quality. He can glide past defenders, use subtle touches to create shots for himself around the edge of the box, navigate tight spaces, and work wonderful one-twos with another forward. Havertz has the physical frame at 6’4″ to win headers and shield defenders, but he’s still learning how to use his size to his advantage; he has a wiry frame. As evidenced by this season’s displays at Arsenal with 1.3 tackles per match, he is getting better defensively.
Who does Kai Havertz emulate his game after?
Kai Havertz said that former German national team star Toni Kroos, whom he played with in the last Euros, is the main player he emulates his game after. And interestingly enough, Havertz has now been playing as a left-sided midfielder in a 4-3-3 for Arsenal, which is the position Kroos made himself a legend at with Real Madrid. Kroos is a deep-lying, controlling midfielder, whereas Havertz has mostly been an attacking midfielder in his career.
Other players Havertz models his game after are Ronaldinho, Kaká, Zinédine Zidane, and Andrés Iniesta. These are highly-skilled footballers with an eye for invention and the spectacular, capable of scoring goals from nothing. In Iniesta’s and Zidane’s cases, they had that added level of progression as midfielders. Havertz has flashes of the brilliance of these players but has yet to find the consistency.
What are Havertz’s strengths?
Havertz’s main strength lies in his skill. He can produce a range of shots and finishes. Havertz can score curlers from outside the box, highly difficult volleyed goals, and headers. The young midfielder is excellent with the ball at his feet, leaving defenders for dead with a shift in weight and showing real composure on the ball before picking out a team. He is a confidence player, but when he is in full confidence, he is capable of scoring goals and creating chances with the best players in the world. And lately, he has become a decent ball-winner. His hold-up and link-up play in the attack are also key strengths.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.