Jorginho has now shared his verdict on Arsenal teammate Kai Havertz.
Jorginho and Kai Havertz know each other well. They were colleagues at Chelsea, before both separately making their ways to Arsenal.
The Gunners paid £12 million in January to tempt Jorginho away from Stamford Bridge. Havertz then followed suit in the recent summer transfer window, making the switch to the Emirates Stadium in a £65 million deal.
The 24-year-old endured a difficult start to life at the north London club. He came in for plenty of criticism, as Mikel Arteta asked him to adapt to a somewhat unfamiliar midfield role. Havertz had primarily been used as a striker in his time at Chelsea.
However, in recent weeks, the German ace looks to have finally found some form and rediscovered his confidence, after grabbing goals against Brentford and Lens. Arteta and the Arsenal fanbase will be desperately hoping that Havertz can kick on from here and truly establish himself as a star at the club and start living up to his price tag.
Jorginho certainly has no doubts that Havertz can reach the heights expected of him at Arsenal. He believes that the player has all the attributes required to flourish in Arteta’s team. Given time, the Italy international is certain that the Emirates Stadium faithful will take Havertz into their hearts.
Jorginho gives deep insight into what makes Kai Havertz special
Speaking on The Athletic Football Podcast, the 31-year-old said, “for me, he’s an unbelievable player to be honest. As a guy, no words, he’s so good, like such a nice guy. I love Kai.”
“He became a friend and I always wanted the best for him. As a player, he has these qualities, his intelligence. It’s funny because you look at him and you think he’s not fast but he’s fast and then you think he’s not strong because maybe he looks skinny but he then he goes for a challenge and he’s strong.”
“So, it takes a little while for people to understand his qualities and what he brings to the team. But the effort he puts in and how much hard work he puts in and his qualities just come out all of a sudden when he’s confidence is high like everyone else.”
“His intelligence, his technique, his finishing, when he finishes I swear to you, it looks like he doesn’t care and then the ball goes into the corner! And I’m like, how do you do that? He’s such a huge player, this guy is so, so, so good and I hope that everyone can appreciate it. For sure, if you like football, it’s impossible that you don’t like Kai Havertz.”
How can Mikel Arteta get the best out of Havertz at Arsenal?
Havertz is a player who lives or dies by his confidence levels. Arsenal fans have seen plenty of times this season what a Havertz lacking in self-belief looks like, and it’s not pretty. In that state, his touch deserts him, he doesn’t make enough attacking runs, and any efforts he might have on goal lack conviction.
Arteta recognises this need for support, and has called on the Arsenal fans to show their love for the 42-cap Germany international through the tough times, as per The Mirror.
A Havertz brimming with confidence is an entirely different proposition, and a far more dangerous one. At his best he is a truly dominant force, putting his physicality and aerial prowess to good use all over the park. He can be an excellent finisher, and his technical ability is remarkable.
The challenge for Arsenal and Arteta is to keep Havertz in this positive state of mind as much as possible.
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