Jamie Carragher has been speaking about Arsenal a lot, with the pundits’ focus now turning to Kai Havertz.
After Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool, Carragher took aim at Mikel Arteta, predicting that the Gunners will never change under the Spaniard’s reign.
It was a bold statement to make after a well-contested game at Anfield, a fixture that actually saw Arsenal create more than Liverpool, contrary to belief.
Carragher questioned how little Arsenal create, and has now turned his attention back to one element of Arteta’s attack.
Jamie Carragher says Kai Havertz will never score enough
Viktor Gyokeres arrived in the summer transfer window to hand Arteta the goalscoring presence his squad had been crying out for.
Aside from still adapting to playing with his new teammates, things are going well for Gyokeres, having scored two goals in his opening three Premier League games.
There are high expectations regarding how many goals the striker will score at Arsenal, even more so due to the lack of out-and-out number nines in the squad.
Last season, Arteta’s main man was Kai Havertz, but Carragher believes that, despite the Arsenal manager loving the 26-year-old’s profile, there’s one problem with the German that will never change.
“That’s why I always go back to Havertz,” Carragher said on the Stick to Football podcast.
“I think Arteta loves Havertz because of what you’re saying. He always does that work, but then he’s probably never going to get the goals, is he?”
Carragher sees why Arteta finds Havertz appealing in his system, but made his opinion clear that the versatile forward doesn’t guarantee goals.
To some degree, it’s true, as Havertz isn’t actually a striker, being nurtured as an attacking midfielder during the earlier moments of his senior career at Bayer Leverkusen.
Havertz’s scoring record for Arsenal
Playing as an attacking midfielder at Leverkusen, the Germany international contributed to 41 goals, but since he’s been in England, it’s all been about playing up front.
It’s difficult, as Havertz’s lack of goalscoring instinct has been criticised, which was to be expected given that he’s been utilised as a striker for both Arsenal and Chelsea.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 88 | 29 | 13 |
Havertz has scored 29 goals in 88 appearances since playing for Arsenal, which is an improvement on his tally at Chelsea, where he netted 32 in 139.
The numbers aren’t mind-blowing by any means, which supports Carragher’s point, but when it comes to what the German offers to Arteta’s system specifically, his role in the squad is justified.
Once Havertz is fit and ready to return to action, it would be fascinating to see how the 26-year-old merges with Gyokeres, who could bring out the best of the former Leverkusen ace’s strengths.
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