For as long as Bukayo Saka remains so consistent, he’ll be Arsenal’s star. The homegrown winger registered his sixth and seventh league assists of the season as the Gunners came from behind to defeat relegation candidates Southampton on Saturday afternoon, also netting his second league goal of the campaign in the process.
Saka ranks among the top 10 players for shots (25), key passes (27) and dribbles (14) in England’s top tier this term to really highlight the range to his attacking output. As Arsenal go in pursuit of a first Premier League title in over 20 years, Saka is the main man. However, it’s impossible to label Arsenal a one-man team. The 23-year-old is evidently the prized jewel in Mikel Arteta’s crown but he’s surrounded by others who shine just as bright.
One of those is Kai Havertz, who arrived at the Emirates last summer as something of an enigma. Largely used as a striker during his time with Chelsea, the German was adamant this wasn’t his best position. Arteta thought similar when Havertz moved across the capital, using the 25-year-old in midfield as a replacement for Granit Xhaka, who left for Bayer Leverkusen last year.
While they are different players, Havertz is an intelligent hard-worker off the ball who could provide the attacking support that Xhaka brought to the side. The decision to use Havertz in midfield, though, failed to bear fruit. The former Bayer Leverkusen man looked lost, yet having spent £65m to sign the Germany international from Chelsea, Arteta couldn’t afford to confine the big-money addition to the scrap heap.
So Arteta did what he should have done initially – he played Havertz up front. With Gabriel Jesus struggling due to injury, Havertz led the charge, and did so well. Suddenly he looked like a round peg in a round hole. His style of play benefited Saka on the right and Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard down the left. With a willingness to drop deeper in search of possession, the wide players were maximising the space the versatile forward freed up as he dragged markers out of position.
After years of struggling for a defined role in a side, Havertz finally found a home in north London. Crucially his second-half-of-the-season form wasn’t a mere flash in the pan. Rather, Havertz has elevated his game to become one of Arsenal’s most important players in their quest for domestic and continental glory.
Havertz scored for the fourth game running in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Southampton, and his strike against the south-coast side means he now has four Premier League goals to his name this season. At his current rate of scoring, he should comfortably beat his 13-goal haul from 2023-24, injury and suspension permitting. Yet his goal return shouldn’t be the way to determine whether or not the Arsenal star enjoys a successful campaign or not.
While forwards will be judged by how many times they put the ball in the back of the net – it’s their primary task after all – Havertz’s approach is to open up space for the wingers when they cut inside. He also offers the physical presence on the frontline that has proven vital for Arsenal this season. Indeed, only Dominic Calvert-Lewin (35) and Virgil van Dijk (30) have won more aerial duels than Havertz (28) in the Premier League.
Arsenal are a side that won’t necessarily look to dominate games in the same fashion as Manchester City and Tottenham, noted in that the Gunners’ possession average of 49.2% ranks ninth in the Premier League this season, so they need a striker of Havertz’s standing to trouble defences when they go direct. Committing an average of 1.7 fouls per 90, Havertz isn’t afraid to ruffle the feathers of markers to help take the sting out of the game in order to disrupt the rhythm of Arsenal’s opponents.
With 14 clearances to his name – more than any other Premier League striker this season – Havertz is just as important to Arteta’s side in the defensive third as he is the attacking. Of course, Arsenal fans are full of praise for their frontman, and deservedly so.
From the outside looking in, Saka is the standout performer on the Arsenal frontline but his displays shouldn’t mask Havertz’s impact. Rather the reason the former is given the platform to excel is due to the influence of the latter. If Arsenal do manage to pip title rivals Liverpool and City to top spot, then Havertz will have played a key role under Arteta. He’s not exactly in the MVP bracket, but he’s not far off.
