Robbie Mustoe has told Arsenal that they have made a big mistake under Mikel Arteta this summer with the mega-money transfer of Kai Havertz from London rivals Chelsea.
The Gunners broke the bank to take Havertz from Stamford Bridge to Emirates Stadium back in June. Arsenal paid the Blues an initial £62.5m for the 24-year-old, with add-ons taking the fee up to a potential £67.5m. The German also signed a five-year contract to seal the switch.
Havertz left west London after just three seasons having struggled to consistently display his full potential. He had captivated many whilst still in the Bundesliga after breaking through at Bayer Leverkusen. But Chelsea’s managerial merry-go-round dealt Havertz a tough task.
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Arsenal hope Arteta can help Havertz reach his full potential
The German top-flight was Havertz’s playground as he struck 36 goals and 25 assists in 118 career appearances. Roger Schmidt handed the attacking midfielder his Bundesliga debut at Werder Bremen back in October 2016. He was 17 years, four months and four days old then.
Chelsea would pay Die Werkself £71m to bring Havertz to the Premier League on a five-year contract in September 2020. The Blues believed in what he showed in the Bundesliga to see him move to England. But he only offered Chelsea 19 goals and 10 assists in 91 appearances.
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Havertz hit 32 goals and created 15 through 139 matches across all competitions at Chelsea. His haul further included scoring the only goal in the 2021 Champions League final to thwart Manchester City. But Chelsea’s managerial upheaval also meant Havertz never got a set role.
Arsenal now hope that Arteta can help Havertz reach his full potential after sealing a mega-money transfer from Chelsea. While the Gunners boss stated after signing the German that he admires the midfielder’s ‘great versatility’ and he will add a ‘huge amount’ to the squad.
What has Mustoe said about Arteta signing Havertz?
But while Arteta is confident in what Havertz adds to his squad, Mustoe feels Arsenal have made a mistake. The long-time midfielder for Middlesbrough believes the Gunners should have looked elsewhere this summer. Instead, they took a risk and overpaid given his output.
“Kai Havertz from Chelsea going to Arsenal is the one of his three big signings where I’m like, ‘What can Mikel do differently?’,” Mustoe told NBC Sports.
“Obviously, Arteta feels that he can play him in a different spot or get something that takes the potential and the raw talent that he’s obviously got into the production of assists and possession and goals and creativity.
“I’m like, you know what, I wouldn’t have done it. I would not have spent that amount of money on a player [like] that. I know it’s different and Arsenal’s different to Chelsea. But I would not have done that, I would have found another avenue to go down.”