Kai Havertz – Reborn Of A Super Star?

Arsenal fans have been mocking for months now all those who mocked their club’s decision to sign Kai Havertz last summer.

Even though they did the same back then, now, almost a year later, you will hardly find the Gunner saying anything negative about the German striker.

Partly because of him, the Gunners were dreaming of winning the title they had been waiting for two decades until the last round of the Premier League. In the moments when Bukayo Saka slowed down and Gabriel Martinelli practically ran out of gas (two months without a goal in all competitions), it was Havertz who pulled Mikel Arteta’s team forward. 

He shone in both London derbies (against Chelsea and Tottenham). At the beginning of April, he was the architect of the victory over Brighton. In March, he came off the bench to score and win three points against Brentford towards the end. Previously, he scored against Sheffield United, Newcastle, and Burnley.

In the previous two-and-a-half months – when Mikel Arteta’s side were all tipped to suffer a repeat of last year’s stumble – the Arsenal all-rounder scored eight Premier League goals, more than any team-mate in the same period, keeping his side in the title race with Manchester City and Liverpool.

This scenario was unthinkable at the beginning of the season when the Spanish expert decided to give the 24-year-old striker a chance. 

Unsatisfied with what he got from the player he made the most expensive signing in the club’s history upon his arrival, Chelsea lost patience with Havertz last summer and decided to sell him. Still, even in their wildest dreams at Stamford Bridge, they could not have imagined getting 75.000.000 euros, only five less than what they paid for it three years earlier. And not just any three years. During these years, Havertz was exposed to constant criticism, and his every wrong move was scrutinized by fans and harsh English analysts. 

Even a goal in the final of the Champions League did not help the boy born in Leverkusen to improve his status in West London. And that’s why everyone was surprised by Arteta’s decision when the team was crying out for a classic goalscorer to “throw” so much money on a footballer who had previously only averaged a little more than six Premier League goals per season… 

Havertz arrived in North London mentally drained, without a shred of confidence.

Now, when the season is over, Havertz justified Arteta’s trust in the position for which he allegedly left West London as a striker. Due to the frequent injury problems of Gabriel Jesus and the sudden drop in the form of Eddie Nketiah in the second part of the season, the German acted as Arsenal’s most advanced footballer in most games and, as such, gained the status of a key player in Arteta’s team. 

Since being moved to the attack, Havertz has blossomed. 

The performance from the best season in Chelsea has been exceeded – he scored 14 goals and made seven assists for Arsenal in all competitions.

Kai’s journey from feeling lost and passionless to his current form is a testament to the power of trust and confidence. 

At the Emirates, they understand their players and how to support them.

All Havertz needed was a little trust to ignite the spark of his self-confidence. 

Now, he’s back to the player who dazzled in Leverkusen, a shining example of what can happen when a player is given the right environment to thrive.

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