Kai Havertz’s deft chip over Bart Verbruggen saw Arsenal take the lead against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.
The game would eventually finish 1-1, with Arsenal fighting to secure a point after Declan Rice’s controversial red card.
It was Havertz’s second goal of the season after he scored and assisted in the Gunners’ 2-0 opening-day victory against Wolves.
Much has been made of Havertz’s transition into Arsenal’s first-choice centre forward. With Gabriel Jesus struggling for consistent fitness, Mikel Arteta has entrusted the German to lead the line.
His versatility has seen him occupying different positions at Arsenal, but a consistent role up front has seen Havertz flourish.
His 13 Premier League goals eclipsed anything he managed at his former club, Chelsea, with a further seven assists showing his importance to Arsenal’s attack.
With his two goals already this season, Havertz will be seeking to further improve on last season’s statistics. In the meantime, however, the German can target one key record he has just edged closer to breaking.
Kai Havertz moves clear of Mesut Ozil in Premier League German scorers list
Havertz’s goals against Wolves and Brighton took the striker to 34 Premier League goals, edging ahead of Arsenal legend Mesut Ozil into second place in the list of the league’s top-scoring Germans.
Ozil notched 33 goals in his 184 Premier League appearances for Arsenal, alongside a further 55 assists. At only 25 years old though, Havertz can truly pull away from his German compatriot.
Ahead of Havertz in the rankings stands Ilkay Gundogan. With 44 goals, the Manchester City star is only ten ahead of Havertz, but the 33-year-old’s recent return to the Premier League could see an engaging battle to keep his record in place.
For Havertz and Arsenal though, this record should only be seen as an added bonus in their pursuit of City’s Premier League title.
His position as an Arsenal striker should see Havertz score more than enough goals to break the record this season, but it remains to be seen whether it’s enough to take his side to glory.
How many goals does Kai Havertz need to cement his position as Arsenal’s striker?
With the transfer window slammed shut, Havertz will be Arsenal’s main man up front for the foreseeable future.
Last season’s 13 goals saw the German in second place for league goals at Arsenal, behind Bukayo Saka’s 16 strikes. For the Gunners to mount another assault on Manchester City for the Premier League title, Havertz must find a way to get closer to the magic 20-goal mark.
In City’s last two title wins, Norweigan star Erling Haaland has scored over 25 Premier League goals, including a record-breaking 36 goals in his debut season.
Even looking back to Liverpool’s title-winning 2019/20 season, Mohamed Salah scored 19 goals which was supported by Sadio Mane’s 18 league strikes.
It is clear therefore that to help his side finally secure the elusive Premier League title, Havertz must improve on his goal return last season. He showed in the Bundesliga that he can get close to 20 goals, with 17 in his penultimate season at Bayer Leverkusen.
Arsenal fans will demand at least a repeat of that figure, but Havertz’s evident improvement under Arteta should encourage the Gunners that the German can reach the all-important scoring heights.
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