Kai Havertz’s transformation under Mikel Arteta has been incredible.
The Gunners signed the Germany international from Chelsea in the summer of 2023 in a move that confused a lot of people. Almost everyone questioned what Arteta was doing.
Havertz was predicted to be a big flop at Arsenal, and the 25-year-old had a very difficult start to life at the Emirates as well.
However, Havertz managed to turn things around sensationally, and Arteta has now pinpointed the exact game that changed everything for the German.
Mikel Arteta reveals Kai Havertz’s turning point at Arsenal
Havertz came under a lot of criticism in his first few months at Arsenal.
The former Chelsea man was deployed as a left-sided number eight by Arteta, and that role didn’t seem to suit him at all at the start.
Havertz really struggled and many people felt he would never come any good. However, the German has proved everyone wrong and is now one of the best players in the Premier League.
Arteta is really impressed with Havertz and ahead of the game against Bournemouth, the Arsenal boss has named what he thinks was the turning point in the attacker’s Arsenal career.
Speaking about Havertz’s penalty against Bournemouth in the 2023/24 season, Arteta told Arsenal.com: “I think that was a turning point, for sure. The players took ownership, which is the best thing. They decided to do something for the player (give him the penalty).
“That straight away made him feel special, it made him feel respected and admired. Everybody was willing and wishing the best for him. He delivered. That day, the connection towards the supporters went to a different level as well and everything started to click.
“Since then, the story is unbelievable. His involvement in every match, what he produces to help us win matches is incredible and very positive obviously.”
Arteta is wrong, Havertz’s turning point was a different game
You can understand why Arteta thinks the Bournemouth game was the turning point for Havertz.
The German scored his first goal for the club in that fixture and it was a very happy moment for him. The fans sang his name and all of his teammates were delighted for him.
However, Havertz continued to struggle for almost another two months before one game that was actually the turning point in his Arsenal career – against Newcastle United away from home.
The 25-year-old started in Martin Odegaard’s role that evening and had a very good game. He looked like a different player and at one moment in the first half, he made a reckless tackle on Sean Longstaff that almost led to a brawl.
That, in our opinion, is the day Havertz won over Arsenal fans, and he managed to score four goals in his next eight games in all competitions.
That kicked off his Arsenal career and he has been magnificent since.
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