"He's doing very good" - Mikel Arteta admits he's 'very happy' with summer signing's recent performances after win over Sevilla
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised Kai Havertz's recent performances after their win over Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, November 8.
The Gunners signed Havertz from Chelsea for £65 million in the summer. The German has struggled for form since then, scoring one run and providing one assist in 18 games across competitions.
Havertz started Arsenal's Champions League group-stage clash against Sevilla at the Emirates on Wednesday. He missed one big chance, completed none of his two dribble attempts, won just six of his 14 duels, and won 1/3 tackles. Arteta, however, said he is pleased with the German's performance, saying (via Fabrizio Romano):
“I’m really happy with him. He’s doing very good. For me, against West Ham in the first half he was the best player, Newcastle one of the best… and against Sevilla we saw that again."
Arsenal, meanwhile, went closer to securing a place in the Champions League knockout with a 2-0 win over Sevilla. Leandro Trossard opened the scoring in the 29th minute while Bukayo Saka scored in the 64th minute to secure the win.
They sit atop Group B, four points above RC Lens and PSV Eindhoven, with two games to go.
Mikel Arteta provides injury update on Bukayo Saka after Arsenal's win over Sevilla
On an otherwise excellent game for Arsenal, Bukayo Saka had to be subbed off late against Sevilla due to a discomfort in his ankle. The Englishman was at the end of multiple fouls throughout the game but still managed to score the Gunners' second goal.
After the game, manager Mikel Arteta shared his response on the consistent fouls on Saka, saying (via Arsenal.com):
"Well, there is contact in football and obviously for the wingers who want to take people on this is going to happen. At the end he wasn't comfortably to carry on, hopefully it's not too much, but I'm really pleased with his performance."
Providing details on the youngster's injury, Arteta added:
"It was just a kick and I was told by the physios on the radio that he wasn’t happy to continue so he will have some discomfort but hopefully, I want to assume that he will be ok."
Saka has again been a key player for Arsenal this season, contributing six goals and seven assists in 16 games across competitions. The Gunners will hope to have him available for their next Premier League fixture against Burnley on Saturday, November 11.