Darren Bent says ‘nasty’ Arsenal star is willing to ‘throw his elbow’ if he has to

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In the past, Arsenal players have often been accused of being either too ‘naive’ or ‘nice’, a side that had lost the edge of the Patrick Vieira era. 

Vieira had some famous scraps with Roy Keane whilst playing for Arsenal, and his teammates would often follow his lead on the pitch.

The Frenchman was as competitive as they come, a kind of player Mikel Arteta would love to work with today.

Of course, Arsenal have ridden any label of being ‘too nice’ in the last few years, Arteta has turned the tide in that regard.

In fact, you now can’t move for talk of Arsenal’s ‘dark arts’, a sign that there’s no longer any naivety at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners now have an incredibly strong spine once again, and Kai Havertz’s impact shouldn’t be underestimated in that regard. 

Darren Bent thought Kai Havertz was ‘soft’ before he left Chelsea for Arsenal

Speaking on talkSPORT (16:41pm, 08/10) Darren Bent thought that Havertz was a ‘little bit soft’ during his days at Chelsea.

However, Arteta has turned Havertz into something of a duel monster, an imposing physical figure in N5.

READ MORE: £25m Arsenal star agrees that he doesn’t suit Mikel Arteta’s football anymore, loan exit likely

And when praising Havertz’s development, Bent said the forward now had a ‘nasty’ side to his game, one that Arsenal are benefitting from.

Bent said: “He had big moments and won big trophies at Chelsea. You can’t hide that fact. Champions League final.

“And the reason why I say he is turning into one of Arsenal’s most important players is that the gaffer very rarely wants to take him off and he can play in a number of positions well.

“He can play number nine, which I think is his best position, number nine, he can play the eight, he can play the 10. I think he has got so many attributes to his game. He can play out wide if he has to.

“What I like about him at Arsenal is he wants to get stuck in. I always felt at Chelsea he was a little bit soft, people would push him over.

“Now, he is a bit nasty, he throws his elbow if he has to, he wins his headers, he holds the ball up. He has added goals to his game as well.”

Ben Foster thinks Kai Havertz still has one flaw

Ian Wright recently compared Havertz to Thierry Henry at Arsenal, saying the German was starting to pick up the ball and drag his team forward in a similar vein.

However, Ben Foster still thinks Havertz has one weakness, comments that are supported by the striker’s numbers this season.

Either way, the former Chelsea man has becoming an entirely different player in north London, someone Arteta can always rely on.

The days of Havertz being a lightweight player drifting in and out of games are gone, he’s now a robust figurehead for Arsenal.

And on the subject of Arsenal strikers, Wright wants fans to ease up on Gabriel Jesus this season.