Arsenal legend, Ray Parlour gives his opinion on the signing of Kai Havertz from Chelsea this summer for a fee of £65million.
The German joined Arsenal as the clubs first signing of the summer and became Mikel Arteta’s most expensive ever signing (currently) and also his first purchase over the £50million mark. The big amount of money suggests the Arsenal boss sees something in Kai Havertz which Chelsea weren’t able to get out of him and Ray Parlour seems to agree.
Although scoring in the Champions League final, Kai Havertz never really reached the heights expected of him at Chelsea after signing from Bayer Leverkusen. However the German is set to get another go in England with a club that’s in a much better situation than the Blues find themselves in right now, after finishing 12th in the Premier League last season.
Ray Parlour on Kai Havertz at Chelsea and not sparkling as he did as a youngster in Germany: “I think there were reasons for that. Chelsea played like a team of individuals last season. They had so many players and made so many changes at the club.”
“Mikel Arteta would have done his homework on the player. Arsenal were a real team last year. They were completely united, there was that connection with the fans. If Havertz feels that and Arteta thinks that he can be a very important player for Arsenal, then I think he will be a really good signing.”
“In many ways, it is quite similar to when Arsenal signed Martin Ødegaard. Real Madrid didn’t fancy him, so he joined us on loan and then he went back there, but again he wasn’t a key player and he joined on a permanent deal.”
“Mikel Arteta saw something in Martin Ødegaard and knew that he could get the best out of the player. I’m hoping that he has seen something similar in Kai Havertz and, if he has, then Havertz could be a great signing for Arsenal.”
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Ray Parlour went on to speak about how he thinks Kai Havertz could be a really good signing for Arsenal, mainly because of his versatility.
“Kai Havertz has a massive opportunity. I don’t think we’ve seen the real Havertz over the last couple of seasons, especially after Thomas Tuchel left the club.”
“I think he could be a really good signing. You need quality back-up across all positions, and I think he can play in a number of roles for Arsenal.”
“We saw him play as a number nine for Chelsea, but I don’t think that is his best position. I can see him playing deeper than that at Arsenal. With the club returning to the Champions League, you need to have that strength in depth.”
Kai Havertz is on the plane to Germany with the rest of the Arsenal squad as the preparation for the 2023/24 campaign begins.
NEXT ARTICLE: A list of the players on the plane to Germany for Arsenal’s pre-season training camp.
