Summer signing Kai Havertz believes that the way Arsenal plays and the midfield position he has filled during preseason are both a good fit for him.
During his three years at Chelsea, the Champions League winner played a variety of positions as a rotating cast of managers tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to make the most of a player who cost £72m to acquire from Bayer Levekusen.
Arsenal parted ways with an initial sum of £65m to sign the 24-year-old this summer as part of the club’s extravagant spending spree.
However, Havertz’s exact role for the side that finished second in last season’s Premier League remains somewhat foggy.
Mikel Arteta hinted that he was prepared to play Havertz in the midfield slot that Granit Xhaka vacated when he joined Leverkusen at the start of July. Alternatively, Arteta suggested that the 6’3 Havertz could act as a ‘target man’.
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Across Arsenal’s pre-season US tour, in which he has found the back of the net against both the MLS All-Stars and Barcelona, Havertz has rotated in and out of a number of positions within the same match but has largely operated from that left-sided midfield role.
When quizzed about his new position, Havertz was quick to say: “I really enjoy it, to play that position.
“I am more on the ball, more integrated in the game, I am really enjoying it. I think I have a lot of room to improve in the games, I am still adapting to the game and everything.
“So far it is working quite well.”
Kai Havertz on attacking the penalty area from midfield: “I always have to arrive there [in the box]. I think it is important for my position & also with my height. I want to score goals, it is part of my game. Hopefully it works more times in the league now.” [Telegraph] #afc pic.twitter.com/E922HCrUQO
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) July 28, 2023
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