It seems a deal to take Chelsea’s Kai Havertz to Arsenal is close to being agreed, with the fee said to be in the region of £65million.
This is a transfer that has, frankly, taken us all by surprise and I’d be lying if I said I was particularly excited by it, and not simply because we have an iffy record with signings from our west London rivals.
The German intentional is, in purely goal-scoring terms, underwhelming. He’s not a prolific scorer and he is not a prolific assister either. According to WhoScored , the 24-year-old has 19 goals and 10 assists in 91 Premier League appearances and a further six goals in 39 Champions League appearances with two assists.
Not what you would describe as a ‘killer’ in front of goal, particularly as someone who has spent a lot of time leading the line at Stamford Bridge. So what are Mikel Arteta and Edu thinking?
Above all, I think it is the German’s versatility that appeals and, look, whatever I might say about him, he has played a lot of games in England and for Germany. He has played for a lot of different coaches in his three years here and they have all given him plenty of game time. That tells you something.
What Havertz brings to a side is clearly valued by the people who know the game. While he may never be gunning for 30 goals a season, he obviously adds value, he adds flexibility, energy and tactical ability too. At 24, he has time firmly on his side but he also has bags of experience as a Champions League winner too.
It’s not my favourite signing of all time and it’s an expensive one too – especially when we are chasing a deal for Declan Rice – but I think we have all learned that, sometimes, we have to defer to those who have better insight than we do.
It’s not wrong for us to have reservations, of course, and, should he sign, Havertz will be subject to the same level of scrutiny as any other of our signings. What will be important from the club’s perspective, though, will be managing expectations and shaping what we can expect from the German in terms of his role at the club; will he be a striker? a winger? will he play as a 10 or across the front three as needed?
This can help ease the pressure on his shoulders and allow him to settle into a side that looks like being increasingly fluid in its identity next season.
So it looks like the starting gun has been fired on our transfer window and while it may not be one for the ages, it is a least a positive sign of intent and shows that we mean to build on what was achieved last year. Let’s hope it’s the first of many this summer.
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