Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reportedly won Kai Havertz over with his vision for how to get the best out of him after a difficult spell at Chelsea.
The Germany international’s imminent arrival at the Emirates Stadium may well be getting a mixed reception from Arsenal fans, but it seems clear that Arteta obviously sees something in the player that’s worth taking a gamble on.
According to The Athletic, big names like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich were also admirers of Havertz but wouldn’t pay as much as Arsenal, while it seems Arteta also played a key role in convincing the 24-year-old to join.
A big part of that seems to be using Havertz in a new position, away from the number 9 role he seemed to struggle so much in for much of his time at Stamford Bridge.
The Athletic suggest Havertz is seen as more of a replacement for Granit Xhaka than an out-and-out attacking player, so we could see him occupy a midfield role with a bit of freedom to go forward and contribute in the box as well.
That would be more like how Havertz was used at Bayer Leverkusen, where he became regarded as one of the finest young players in Europe, so we could see an exciting reinvention of the player under Arteta.
Play him in midfield and he will be a liability