Former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell has defended new signing Kai Havertz, claiming that it will take him time to settle.
Havertz has come in for criticism after a fairly poor start to his Arsenal career since joining from Chelsea this summer, and did not do himself any favours with his performance in the victory over Manchester United.
Given that he had three years of Premier League experience with Chelsea before his big-money move, the expectations were that Havertz would arrive as someone who could slot in instantly, which has not happened so far.
Speaking to Stadium Astro after the victory over United, Campbell pointed out that Havertz is not the first player in the Arsenal squad who needed time to win over the fanbase.
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“I’ll tell you this much, Martin Odegaard. Fans were against him, they were saying no, he’s not this, he’s not that. Aaron Ramsdale, he’s not, Ben White, he’s not. Once they settle in and they understand the system, they thrive,” he stated.
“I expect the same to happen to Kai Havertz.”
Havertz needs to step up
Whilst Campbell is right that Odegaard, White and Ramsdale had to turn around the initial perceptions of them, all three players showed enough on the pitch for their performances to do their talking.
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In Odegaard’s initial loan spell at the club, he scored a number of impressive goals, and delivered a sensational performance away at West Ham, inspiring a comeback having been 3-0 down.
White was criticised after a disastrous debut against Brentford, but as soon as he came back into the team, he started delivering strong performances which won a sceptical fanbase over.
The signing of Ramsdale was heavily criticised, but when he replaced Bernd Leno in the starting XI he delivered immediately, and he went from a scapegoat during the transfer window to a fan favourite within weeks.
Havertz may need time to settle and build his confidence, but until he starts delivering better performances and output, there will be major question marks over him. He should keep his place for the next game after the international break, as he needs game time to adapt to Arsenal’s style, but patience is quickly running out amongst the fanbase.