14 goals & assists in last 13 games - Kai Havertz's crucial role in Arsenal's title challenge

“Tsamina mina, eh, eh waka waka, eh, eh 60 million down the drain, Kai Havertz scores again”. The chant has become commonplace wherever Arsenal have played in recent months. The German international haunted his former club Chelsea last month as he netted a brace in Arsenal's scintillating 5-0 win - their biggest ever win over their London rivals. On Sunday it was another assist in the Gunners crucial 1-0 win at Old Trafford, which confirmed the Premier League title race will go down to the final day next Sunday. Havertz has become so important to this Arsenal team, and now has 14 direct goal involvements in his last 13 games.

Arsenal now need to rely on bitter rivals Tottenham to do them a favour and take something off of title challengers Manchester City on Tuesday. Havertz admitted even he will be changing allegiances for the evening, "I'm going to be the biggest fan of Spurs ever. We're all going to be, so let's hope for the best" exclaimed Havertz after the victory at Old Trafford. It's been a significant turnaround in fortune for a player who was originally doubted after being signed for €75m from Chelsea last summer. “There is no doubt Havertz had a tough start to life at Arsenal,” Content Manager UK and Arsenal fan Ben Littlemore said. “There was a lot of pressure on him, mainly because he was signed from a rival club in Chelsea, and many people felt Arsenal had overpaid for him. In the first few months, Havertz was making great unselfish runs and stretching the game, but looked nervous on the ball and was failing to deliver the final product.”

Havertz's sensational form and debut season comparison

If Arsenal do go on to win the league, then Havertz's contribution during the business end of the season will be pivotal. After not scoring for the Gunners until match-day seven in the Premier League (which was a penalty given to him by Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard), Havertz has scored eight goals and provided six assists in his last 13 league appearances. As the graphic below illustrates, only Cole Palmer has provided more goal contributions in the league than Havertz's 14 since February.

It was fitting that the German international highlighted his recent improvement against his former club, Chelsea in April. Havertz will always be affiliated with Chelsea after scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final against Man City, but he never realised his full potential at Stamford Bridge after joining from Bayer Leverkusen. His versatility was often his weakness at Chelsea as he was moved around positions without being provided the required time to grow into a role. While Mikel Arteta has also used Havertz in different roles, he has thrived as the central striker in recent months with the freedom to roam. Arteta has been effusive in praise for the German. "I must say that Kai Havertz's overall contribution in every phase of play has been tremendous.".

Kai Havertz – What changed at Arsenal? 

What then changed for Havertz at Arsenal?  “Since Gabriel Jesus got injured in January, Havertz has been primarily used as the focal point of Arsenal’s attack and recently he has been thriving,” Littlemore said. "He is beginning to use his superb aerial ability to get headed goals, and his intelligent runs in behind are leading to chances he’s now taking,” Littlemore said. “Those aforementioned clever runs are also creating lots of space for the likes of Saka and Ødegaard to flourish. His versatility to play up front or in the left 8/10 position has made him vital to Mikel Arteta this season.”

That versatility hasn’t always been in Havertz’s favour. Havertz played his best campaign in 2018/19 when he scored 17 goals and four assists in 34 Bundesliga games for Bayer Leverkusen. That season, Havertz mainly was employed as a classic playmaker behind a classic no.9 with traditional wingers on either flank. Once he joined Chelsea, Havertz went on a quest to find his best role. Indeed, whether it was for club or country, it almost felt like coaches didn’t quite know how to employ Havertz. And the database underlines this. During his entire club career, Havertz has played 167 games as an attacking midfielder (36 goals 29 assists), 85 games as a centre-forward (33 goals and 10 assists), 52 games as a right winger (18 goals and 11 assists), 24 games as a central midfielder (four goals and one assist), seven games as a left winger (one assist) and one game as a right midfielder. 

Havertz – Long-term no.9 for Arsenal and Germany?

The lack of a clear role has meant that Havertz never seemed to have fulfilled his potential that made him the most sought-after commodity in European football after he burst onto the scene as a teenager for Leverkusen. But the evidence might suggest that this might now finally change and indeed, it is crucial to remember here that Havertz is still only 24 years old. 

In other words, Havertz isn’t the gracious playmaker that he was for Leverkusen when he kicked off his career. Today’s Havertz seems more robust and a bit more direct. More importantly, Havertz also appears to be more impactful in the air, which is crucial when wanting to survive the physicality thrown at you by Premier League defenders. It also means that Arteta now trusts Havertz to lead the attacking line, which, in turn, means Havertz finally has a defined role as a no.9. Regularly starting as a no.9 for Arsenal also could provide Havertz with an edge ahead of Euro 2024 as Germany lacks depth among strikers.