Manager claims one thing is now officially ‘over’ for Arsenal star Kai Havertz

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Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann has discussed his plans for Arsenal star Kai Havertz.

Julian Nagelsmann recently experimented by using Kai Havertz as a left-back for his country. Despite being in such an unfamiliar position, the Arsenal man was still able to find the back of the net on international duty. 

Havertz had a difficult start to life at Arsenal this season. Following his £65 million arrival from Chelsea, the 24-year-old came to the Emirates Stadium short on confidence and out of form. He was then tasked with adapting to a midfield role by Mikel Arteta, despite having been primarily been used as a striker in his time at Stamford Bridge.

The 42-cap Germany international came in for plenty of criticism as he strived to find his feet in north London. However, he has hit a streak of good form in recent weeks. Havertz has scored three goals in his last six games, across all competitions, for the club.

Arteta will be looking for Havertz to now kick on and show that he can shine on a consistent basis.

Nagelsmann, meanwhile, appears to have given up on repurposing Havertz as a full back. Discussing the topic on ZDF Sports Studio, he said, “yes, it’s over. Although it wasn’t a failure. He played two very good games.”

There was certainly never any indication that Arteta considered using a Havertz in a similar fashion.

Kai Havertz has so much to offer Arsenal

The fact Nagelsmann ever deployed Havertz as part of his defensive unit demonstrates how technically secure and tactically astute the player is. Those are two of the attributes that will have attracted Arteta to him in the summer. At 6’4”, Havertz is a physical presence, but he is also exceptionally skilful.

He is certainly highly thought of by his teammates, too. Veteran midfielder Jorginho, who shares a dressing room with Havertz now at Arsenal and was also a teammate of his at Chelsea, has recently spoken out publicly about what makes the German so special. Jorginho described Havertz as an “unbelievable” player. 

Arsenal fans will be delighted to see Havertz now becoming more of a regular goal threat. With his aerial prowess and athleticism, he ought to be able to make himself a target in the penalty area for the likes of Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka to pick out frequently. He also shown that he can advance forward from his starting position in midfield to work in tandem with Gabriel Jesus up front to great effect.