"He needs to pull his finger out" - Tim Sherwood urges Arsenal star to up his levels despite good performance against Brentford
Former Blackburn Rovers captain Tim Sherwood has launched criticism at Arsenal star Kai Havertz despite the forward's impressive performance against Brentford on Saturday, November 25.
The Gunners signed Havertz from Chelsea in the summer for £65 million. He has had a poor start to life at the Emirates, failing to live up to the expectations that naturally come with such a price tag.
Havertz has scored just two goals in 20 appearances across all competitions for the north London outfit so far this season. However, he was the star of the show, scoring the match-winner in Arsenal's 1-0 victory over Brentford on November 25. He came on as a substitute in the 79th minute and completed his one dribble attempt, won 50% of his duels, and had one shot on target.
Despite his great display, Sherwood has singled out the German forward as he believes Havertz has shown a lack of motivation at the Emirates. The pundit has predicted a bleak future for the 24-year-old, insisting he will not move to an elite outfit after the north London side.
Sherwood said on The Kelly and Wright show (as quoted by The Boot Room):
“I think he realises, I honestly believe he’s never going to go to a bigger club than what he’s at [Arsenal]. Not from here, I don’t care, he’s not going to go to Bayern Munich in my opinion, he’s not going to go over there. He’s at one of the biggest clubs he’s ever going to play for, he needs to pull his finger out, he needs to start showing it.“
The Gunners will next face RC Lens at the Emirates in their UEFA Champions League encounter on Wednesday, November 29.
"They ain’t seen nothing" - Tim Sherwood insists Mikel Arteta doesn't know Arsenal star's 'best position'
While speaking on the aforementioned show, Sherwood also pointed out Mikel Arteta's management of Havertz. The pundit insists that the Arsenal manager is unaware of his summer signing's best position on the pitch.
Havertz is a versatile player who's been deployed in a number of positions, across the front three and in midfield, over the course of his career. The German attacker has been used as a central midfielder on multiple occasions this season.
Sherwood seems to disagree with Arteta's tactical choices and slammed him for not getting the best out of his player, saying:
“Mikel was taking him over there to introduce him to the Arsenal fans, wasn’t he. It’s about time. There’s a lot of money and they ain’t seen nothing, nor have I. The boy doesn’t even know where his best position is. And Mikel certainly doesn’t know his best position."
While Sherwood has been critical of Havertz, the German's goal against Brentford has played an important role in the title race. Arsenal have moved to the top of the league table after the weekend, a point ahead of second-placed Manchester City.