Throughout his first four years at Arsenal, pundits constantly implored Mikel Arteta to sign a striker, and after Kai Havertz made a slow start to life in North London, there were more calls for a new centre-forward. But not since February.
From February until the end of last season, Havertz netted nine times in fourteen league games and had a combined 15 goals and assists in those final 14 matches. That's an immense return.
The German has started this season in fine form too, scoring six times in nine starts across all competitions, including a goal in every home game so far.
In fact, Havertz has tied Robin Van Persie's record of scoring in seven-straight games at Emirates Stadium, scoring in the first six home matches of this season and on the final day of the 2023/2024 season.
This strike rate has eradicated the calls for Arsenal to sign a top class striker because the struggling midfielder they signed from Chelsea last Summer seems to have covered the gap.
So is Havertz the big man up top that Arsenal need? Evidence suggests that he is.
Goal scoring aside, having the target striker and skilled possession player in one big number nine is vital to the way Arsenal play.
The most damning stat for other contenders in the Gunners' squad such as Gabriel Jesus is that all five of Arsenal's league defeats last season came with Kai Havertz either playing in midfield (4) or being absent altogether (1); Arteta's side are yet to lose this term.
In other words, Arsenal have never lost a Premier League game with Kai Havertz up front.
Of course a player so important to a style has to have good chemistry with all of their teammates, but Havertz has been especially productive when linking up with Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka.
The Havertz-Trossard link isn't necessarily obvious because most of Arsenal's stats are dominated by Saka, but when the Gunners are working both neat passing moves and fast-paced counter attacks, it so often begins with Trossard picking out Havertz with a progressive forward pass.
In the absence of captain Martin Odegaard, Trossard has taken up the number 10 role with great success. The Belgian's assist for Havertz against PSG even emulated the movement of Arsenal's Norwegian star.
For whatever reason the two have a wonderful understanding, knowing instinctively where the other will be. This helps Arsenal play through deep blocks, especially with Trossard playing in a more central role.
It's no coincidence then that it was Trossard and Havertz who came up with the stoppage time goals to beat Leicester a couple of weeks ago.
The link-up between Havertz and Saka however is more obvious. Arsenal's star boy has assisted three of his striker's four goals this season and has been set up by Havertz for one of his goals too.
In fact against Wolves on the opening weekend, Havertz and Saka set each other up for the goals in a 2 - 0 win for the Gunners.
Saka's ability on the wing allows him to create plenty of chances and with Havertz in fine goal-scoring form, Arsenal have a reliable route to goal against any sort of defence. This underlines the importance of having a ruthless, physical centre forward in the right place at the right time.
£60 million was viewed as a lot of money for Kai Havertz at the time of his move from London-rivals Chelsea, especially as it took the German until his ninth game for Arsenal to find the net and even that was a penalty.
But since Arteta has moved his big-money signing up front, both Havertz and Arsenal have been thriving.
Comments