Paul Merson says he’s shocked to see Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta deploying Kai Havertz in midfield instead of playing him as a striker.
The Gunners signed the German from Chelsea for huge money this summer. So far, we haven’t yet seen him justify that price tag, which has resulted in a ton of criticism flying his way.
Merson has just had his say on Sky Sports.
Paul Merson says Mikel Arteta is using Kai Havertz in the wrong position at Arsenal
Kai Havertz played over half of his games at Chelsea as a striker, but most people believed he would be deployed in attacking midfield at Arsenal when we signed him.
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That’s exactly what has happened, but sadly for Havertz, he has struggled.
The German has made some good runs and his movement has been commendable. However, there’s still a lot lacking in his game, and that is really frustrating for some fans.
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Merson thinks it’s because he’s playing in the wrong position.
He said: “I’m shocked where Kai Havertz is playing. I didn’t see that in my wildest dreams.
“I’m a big Havertz fan. He’s a centre-forward, he can score goals, he scored plenty in Germany. He can’t play on the left.”
The Insider’s View:
There has been a lot of debate over Havertz’s best position in recent weeks.
Arteta clearly sees him as a left-sided attacking midfielder, and that is where he has played in each of our first three Premier League games.
Things, clearly, have not gone to plan, but it’s just way too early to write Havertz off. Give the German some time to settle and allow Arteta to get his ideas across – the Arsenal boss rarely gets it wrong with things like this.
We still think Havertz will come good for Arsenal once he has fully settled.