Kai Havertz form proves Arteta was right not to go for Toney

October 2, 2024Ligue 1

Mikel Arteta will be rightly pleased this Wednesday morning, after his Arsenal side dispatched French giants, Paris Saint-Germain, in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

The Spaniard got his tactics sport on against his former club, and the game was sewn up by half-time thanks to goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka.

Havertz in particular had come in for criticism in the past, with no one really sure what his best position was.

Kai Havertz is the man again for Arteta and Arsenal

However, Arteta’s patience with the German international is really starting to pay dividends now, and his goal against PSG was already his fifth in nine games this season (transfermarkt).

The Spaniard was full of praise in the aftermath of the result saying (per BBC Sport) that; “He has been unbelievable. His football brain, the way he understands space, timing, the way he brings people together and his work ethic is incredible.

“Every time he is around the box he is a real threat and he is one of the main players at the moment.”

Kai Havertz celebrates a goal (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Prior to the game, Havertz endeared himself further to the Gunners faithful when he took a swipe at former club, Chelsea.

That didn’t stop his former Blues manager, Frank Lampard, saying how pleased he was to see the player succeeding.

Indeed, what he’s essentially proving at present is that he’s the striker that the club have always wanted – and needed.

Perhaps not a target man in the traditional sense, his goalscoring record of late can’t be knocked, and he’s proven that Arteta was right not to go for Ivan Toney (linked by Sky Sports) or Victor Osimhen (Fabrizio Romano).

Certainly, the ease with which Havertz appears to play the game is deceiving. He glides around the pitch seemingly without a care, but play him in behind defenders and he rarely lets Arsenal down.