Kai Havertz failed his most important Arsenal audition yet vs. Newcastle

So Kai Havertz can’t replace Martin Odegaard. Havertz also hasn’t been able to replace Granit Xhaka, while Mikel Arteta doesn’t seem to trust the former Chelsea man as a No. 9. Tell me again why Arsenal signed Havertz for £65m?

There’s no way Arteta can answer that question with a straight face. Not after Havertz failed his most important audition yet during Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat away to Newcastle United on Saturday.

It was a game when Arteta and the Gunners were counting on Havertz to replace Odegaard. Arsenal’s only truly creative central midfielder was deemed “not fit” enough to even be included in the squad.

Odegaard’s absence meant Havertz got the nod to start, despite having already failed to convince in a deeper role earlier this season. Fulfilling the shuttling brief Xhaka had from the left of centre for the 2022/23 campaign proved too much for Havertz, and so did pulling the strings in the final third the way Odegaard would.

Havertz couldn’t handle creative responsibility

Becoming Odegaard required Havertz to get on the ball often and use it intelligently. Instead, the 24-year-old mustered a mere 49 touches, according to WhoScored.com. He made just 33 passes.

Significantly, Havertz didn’t play a single key pass. Zero. Nada. Zilch. Nothing at all to offer in the final third.

Creating goals isn’t the only remit for Arsenal’s most advanced midfielder. Taking on shots and scoring goals haven’t been problems for Odegaard, who has found the net 26 times.

Havertz, by contrast, finds yellow cards easier to come by than goals.

His latest booking, for a late and needless lunge into Sean Longstaff not only created an on-pitch melee. it also ratcheted up the intensity of a rabid crowd at St. James’ Park.

The Gunners needed to be smart about manipulating the atmosphere, but Havertz was anything but. His heel act might have been effective if he’d combined it with quality in possession.

Arsenal barely looked threatening without guile and efficiency between the midfield and forward lines. It’s easy to pick fault with the options at striker trying to replace injured Gabriel Jesus, but the football Arteta preaches flows through able technicians with the vision to find gaps in defensive lines.

Havertz never even came close to unlocking Newcastle’s back four. His latest flat performance has to raise questions about Arteta’s recruitment strategy.

Arteta should face questions about recruitment

It’s hard to defend Arteta spending so much on Havertz when he obviously doesn’t know the player’s best position. Making smart use of talent is what separates good managers from average ones, but Arteta isn’t making it work with Havertz.

The ongoing failure should prompt questions about Arteta’s recruitment. Questions that extend beyond the purchase of Havertz. Questions like why wasn’t Fabio Vieira given the chance to start in place of Odegaard?

Vieira is closest to Odegaard in terms of style and attributes. Unlike Havertz, Vieira has at least delivered end product.

He may not be an assist king, but the 23-year-old is at least an assist princeling off the bench. If Vieira isn’t good enough to start, does the £34.2m Arsenal sent to Porto represent another waste of money?

A more probing question can be asked about whether the near £100m laid out for Havertz and Vieira wouldn’t have been better spent on a striker. Especially when there are options for reinforcements up top, with Henry Winter of The Times identifying a deal for Brentford’s Ivan Toney as a smarter use of Arsenal’s cash.

I’m not completely convinced Toney is the answer, but the broader point holds true. Arteta has been given considerable transfer funds during his time in charge, but Havertz and Vieira show he hasn’t always spent wisely.

Those misjudgements, far from the only ones, are costing Arsenal dearly when the manager doesn’t have his strongest 11, which includes Odegaard, available.