Journalist James McNicholas believes that one Arsenal star has undergone a transformation over the course of this season.
This Arsenal team as a whole has evolved as the season has gone on.
In the first part of the campaign the Gunners were largely functional, but far from being at their most fluid. The attacking contingent of Mikel Arteta’s squad, in particular, took some time to gel and really get firing on all cylinders.
Everything changed for the North London club after their mid-season break in Dubai.
Despite not being at their most cohesive, Arsenal found themselves at the top of the Premier League table on Christmas Day. They then, though, hit a period of poor form, as they lost back to back Premier League games to Fulham and West Ham United, before being dumped out of the FA Cup at the hands of Liverpool.
They then went on a sojourn to the Gulf state, and since then the Gunners have been in scintillating form. Arsenal have been scoring goals for fun and are unbeaten in the Premier League since that January break. Gabriel Jesus has recently hailed the importance of that Dubai trip and its impact on the team’s season.
There have been evolutions on an individual basis at the Emirates Stadium too. David Raya has settled into being the first-choice pick between the sticks. Meanwhile, Jakub Kiwior has now arguably emerged and established himself as the starting left-back at the club.
The plan Mikel Arteta originally had for Kai Havertz at Arsenal
Kai Havertz has also grown and developed over the course of the campaign, though not in the manner many expected him to. In his time at Chelsea, the German was primarily deployed as striker, but struggled to ever shine in that role on a consistent basis.
Upon his arrival at Arsenal in the recent summer transfer window, it was clear that the Arteta viewed the £280,000-a-week ace as a potential midfield option. Certainly, in the first half of the campaign, the Spanish coach regularly deployed Havertz in that part of the pitch.
However, whilst he slowly grew in confidence, the 24-year-old never looked entirely comfortable in that position either.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Arsenal ace Kai Havertz from his girlfriend to height
How Kai Havertz has evolved at Arsenal this season
Again, after the return from Dubai, Arteta started using Havertz as a striker on a regular basis, and since then the player has gone from strength to strength. He is in fine form in front of goal and is an ideal tactical fit for this Arsenal team in that role. Havertz bagged a goal and an assist against Brighton last time out.
James McNicholas, speaking on his On The Whistle video, has now given his view on the change that has been seen in Havertz this season. The reporter said, “even when they signed him they announced him as a midfield player, which is quite unusual. They sort of said, in the press release on the official statement, ‘we’ve made an addition to our midfield in Kai Havertz.’”
“I almost feel like that’s something they needed to do for him. He’d had such a, sort of, almost traumatic time as a striker at Chelsea, where it just hadn’t worked for him. I think it was almost important to kind of redefine him, to give him that fresh start…reinvent him as a player. He has been reinvented as a player, but ultimately it has been as a centre-forward.”
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