"Good luck with that one" - Graeme Souness questions Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta for surprise summer transfer
Graeme Souness is bemused by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta's decision to sign Kai Havertz from Chelsea in the summer.
Havertz arrived at the Emirates from west London in a £65 million deal. The transfer surprised many, given the German attacker had struggled to impress during his three years at Stamford Bridge.
The 24-year-old was used in a false 9 role by the Blues last season amounting to nine goals and one assist in 47 games across competitions. He was unable to replicate his impressive performances, which led to Chelsea signing him from Bayer Leverkusen for £72 million.
Souness has questioned Arsenal's transfer business and is particularly unimpressed by their capture of Havertz. He said (via English journalist Simon Phillips):
"Not all of Arsenal’s spending makes sense to me. They’ve laid out £65million on Kai Havertz. Surely you’re not spending that kind of money on what he’s shown at Chelsea in the past three seasons?"
Havertz played under three permanent managers during his spell at Stamford Bridge. However, he couldn't live up to his price tag under any of them, including UEFA Champions League-winning coach Thomas Tuchel.
Souness has doubts about Arteta being able to bring out the best in the Germany international. The Liverpool legend added:
“They’ve shelled out in the hope that Mikel Arteta can get a very, very different tune out of him than Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel or Graham Potter ever did. Good luck with that one, Mikel.”
Arteta has handed Havertz a new midfield role. That hasn't resulted in much success, though, with the German looking unconvincing. He has made seven appearances across competitions but is without a goal contribution.
Havertz was displaced by Fabio Vieira in the Gunners' 1-0 win against Everton on September 17. He might need to improve as not only is Vieira a serious threat to his spot in Arteta's starting XI but so too is Emile Smith Rowe.
Arsenal manager Arteta gave a glowing verdict of Kai Havertz after signing him
Arteta talked up Havertz's qualities when the club announced the German attacker's signing in the summer.
The Spanish coach said that Havertz had the tools to help strengthen his midfield (via football.london):
"Kai is a player of top quality. He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield and variety to our play."
The Arsenal boss has looked to use Havertz's versatility by handing him a midfield role. However, the German perhaps works best in a more advanced role, as was the case at Leverkusen in his youth days. He bagged 46 goals and 31 assists in 150 games across competitions at the BayArena.
It remains to be seen how much time Arteta is willing to give the former Chelsea forward. Given he's an expensive purchase, Havertz is under pressure to prove his doubters wrong.