Mikel Arteta has bet on the Kia Havertz. Photo: Getty Images/David Price. years is that they signed players for who they could be, and not who they are at present. On many occasions, this has resulted in the club, especially Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu, being criticized for targeting players that many observers believe are substandard.
When Ben White joined the Brighton team for £50m, a significant portion of Arsenal fans were dismayed by the fee. When Martin Odegaard signed for £30 million that summer, those who wanted James Maddison instead were disgusted. Such was the dissatisfaction with Aaron Ramsdale's £24m move, the goalkeeper was subjected to horrendous online abuse and threatening messages.
Even last year's biggest summer signings were controversial. Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, bought for a total of £75m, drew ridicule from some supporters and pundits because Manchester City sacked them.
However, in each of these cases, Arteta and Edu were right. White, Odegaard, Ramsdale, Jesus and Zinchenko have played a key role in Arsenal's stunning progress over the past 12 months, all of whom have become top players thanks to Arteta's polished tactical system.
Martin Odegaard flourished under Michele Arteta. Photo: Getty Images/Stuart MacFarlane
The hopes and even expectations at the Emirates Stadium are that another expensive addition, Kai Havertz, whose signature was confirmed on Wednesday night, will follow in the footsteps of these other dignitaries. Arsenal are investing over £60m in the German not because they need the same player who represented Chelsea last season, but because they believe they can make him more efficient than he ever was. to Stamford Bridge.
Obviously, Havertz's move is a demonstration of faith in the German. But it is also another demonstration of Arsenal's faith in Arteta and a reflection of the manager's confidence in his own work on the training pitch. As for Havertz, Arteta clearly believes he is capable of succeeding where Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard have failed.
Perhaps the biggest reason for this confidence is Odegaard's development under Arteta. Like Odegaard, Havertz was a teenage sensation (at Bayer Leverkusen he became the youngest player to make 100 Bundesliga appearances). And just like Ødegaard at Real Madrid, Havertz has gone a little off track after a major move to the European giant.
Arsenal know that if Arteta can do to Havertz what he did to Ödegaard, helping him realize his potential, then they could have another truly world-class attacking player. It should not be forgotten how highly regarded Havertz was as a youth in Germany, where he became the top scoring teenager in the Bundesliga season.
Arsenal were well aware of Havertz's talents even before club scouts in Europe spotted him even before he made his senior debut in Germany. Timings didn't work at the time, but they do now: Arsenal see him as a player who can thrive as an attacking midfielder and see his arrival (on a five-year contract) as proof of their progress in the recent game. season.
We CANNOT wait for Kai Havertz to come back 🤩
— 139 matches
— 38 goals
— 30 assists
📺 Werder Bremen — Leverkusen | 19:15 | BT Sport 1 HDpic.twitter.com/GaN1wjrueg
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 18, 2020
Odegaard represents a promising precedent then, and there are others in Arsenal's history that have thrived in the north. London after an unsuccessful first major step. Patrick Vieira, for example, only made two first-team appearances for Milan before turning the course of his career at Arsenal. Dennis Bergkamp had a bad spell at Inter Milan before moving to Highbury. Thierry Henry failed at Juventus.
In each of these cases, Arsenal saw an opportunity to buy an elite level player at a time when his market value and international reputation were low compared to their talent. Havertz is much the same. He's certainly not cheap (his fee can be as high as £65m with surcharges), but he was worth £72m three years ago and his best years are yet to come. During his time as manager, Arsene Wenger famously stated about Arsenal: «We don't sign superstars, we create them.»
Things have changed a bit since then, and no one can say that Havertz is not already a superstar. In the end, he scored the winning goal in the Champions League final.
But the message of this statement remains true in the sense that Arsenal still see themselves as a club where players can develop and improve. and where to unleash the potential. Havertz is not ready, but Arteta believes that the German can be made into something brighter and better than what was seen at Chelsea.
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