Are we being too harsh on Kai Havertz?

Havertz needs time

For absolute clarity, I feel it necessary to make clear that I do not personally believe Havertz will ever be worth the money we paid for him, although I do, of course, want to be proven wrong, and for that to happen, the player needs time.

Not just time to fully settle into the club, but also time to fully comprehend precisely what his new manager wants from him – after all, he is being played in a position in which he has scarcely been deployed before.

While I do not expect his goal output to drastically improve, Havertz must improve the basics and begin to affect the game far more than he is currently doing. While I don’t personally think the Havertz move will work out in the end, I do still believe that we are being far too harsh on the 24-year-old and must remember that he is still a young player learning a new position.

With that being said, it may be wise for Arteta to drop Havertz to the bench ahead of our clash with Manchester United this weekend, not just because I believe a midfield of Thomas Partey, Rice and Odegaard is currently our strongest option, but also to take the player out of the limelight and allow him to grow in confidence over time.