Why Kai Havertz could be Arsenal’s next Robin van Persie

Kai Havertz being on the verge of joining Arsenal proves Mikel Arteta took notes when he played for Arsene Wenger. Arteta was running the midfield when Wenger’s plan to turn Robin van Persie into the ultimate 9.5 finally came to fruition.

9.5 describes a striker who’s a mix of a No. 10 and a classic centre-forward. Developing RVP for the hybrid position began when Wenger snapped up a young right winger from Feyenoord for less than £3m in 2004.

Van Persie quickly became a supporting striker and potential heir apparent to Dennis Bergkamp, but Wenger had bigger plans. Those plans involved maximising Van Persie’s ability to mix the best of Bergkamp with Thierry Henry.

After a Van Persie brace helped Arsenal beat Spurs 3-0 in November 2009, Wenger called the Dutchman “less of a runner than Thierry Henry and he is not completely Dennis Bergkamp because he plays higher up the pitch.” Wenger also declared RVP “can be the best passer in the League and the best goalscorer in the League.”

Havertz isn’t in those brackets yet, but the 24-year-old offers similar potential. The chance to unlock that potential makes sense of Arteta’s interest.

It also explains why Arsenal are prepared to pay Chelsea £65 million, per Fabrizio Romano.

There are conflicting reports about how the deal will be structured, with The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealing “Arsenal are set to pay an initial £62m for the German international with a further £3m in add-ons.”

Kai Havertz perfect for RVP Role

Either way, Arteta will get a gifted, but as yet unfulfilled attacking talent capable of redefining Arsenal’s forward line at a few positions. He mostly operated through the middle for Chelsea, but the Germany international has experience out wide and deeper in midfield.

That experience makes Havertz perfect for the fluid position Van Persie discussed after scoring twice during a 3-0 win over Bolton in 2011:

"In Holland we call positions by numbers. You have the No 9 who is the main striker and the No 10 just behind. I call myself a nine-and-a-half."

Havertz plays in a similar way, according to Tifo Football’s JJ Bull, who referenced the “9.5” role, but also outlined how Havertz dropping off the front would let Arsenal “create a box midfield” to “help outnumber a midfield three.”

Bull was envisaging what can happen if Havertz partners Gabriel Jesus up top. An alternative would involve Jesus moving out of the middle.

New signing can reintroduce false 9

Arteta knows how effectively Pep Guardiola used the false 9 strategy with Manchester City. The Arsenal boss can reintroduce the same concept with Havertz as the roving focal point of an essentially striker-less system.

It would allow Jesus to move out wide, the way he did for City during the 2021/22 season. Jesus’ tendency to vacate the central space can work against Arsenal, but it also creates dangerous spaces for others to occupy.

Adopting a false 9 setup with Jesus on the wing and Havertz dropping off to support Martin Odegaard would let Bukayo Saka attack centrally more often. Arteta’s gifted forwards switching things up should lead to more chances and increase the ways Arsenal drag defences out of shape.

Havertz will be key to the plan while steadily morphing into what Van Persie became. It’s a tall order, but as Henry put it for CBS Sports Golazo, parts of Havertz’s game are reminiscent of RVP: “Out of the guys that used to be wingers or 10, he plays as a nine, because back to goal he can hold the ball well.”

If he harnesses those core talents alongside tapping into his obvious potential, Havertz will become one of the smarter signings of the Arteta era.