"He's not top class, I'm sorry" – Ex-Arsenal star urges Gunners to replace Kai Havertz with 25-year-old star linked with Chelsea
Ex-Arsenal star William Gallas has urged his former team to rope in Chelsea target Victor Osimhen as a potential replacement for Kai Havertz in the number nine role.
Osimhen, who was heavily linked with Chelsea earlier this summer, decided to join Turkish giants Galatasaray on a season-long loan deal in September. The Nigerian has scored eight goals and recorded four assists in just 10 appearances across all competitions this campaign.
Havertz, on the other hand, has lately received criticism for his sub-par outings in a striking role in Mikel Arteta's 4-3-3 system. The 25-year-old German has registered seven goals and one assist in 17 overall appearances for the north London outfit in the ongoing 2024-25 season.
Speaking to betting website Genting Casino, Gallas shared his honest thoughts on Havertz and urged the Gunners to sign a new striker. He elaborated (h/t Metro):
"Kai Havertz has never ever been the right man to take Arsenal to the Premier League title. Havertz is a good player, but he's not top class, I'm sorry. He's nowhere near a world class level, Arsenal need a player to replace him at striker. I still don't understand why Victor Osimhen is at Galatasaray, he needs to play in the Premier League and he can play at the top level at [the Gunners]."
Gallas, who also represented Chelsea as a player, concluded:
"It's difficult to understand football sometimes, he played really well at Napoli, then made a move to Galatasaray, who are a big club but he needs to be playing at a higher level. Arsenal need a striker like Osimhen, the club needs to wake up, it's obvious and simple, they need a striker. You need a strong squad to compete, that's how Manchester City and Liverpool stay at such a high level."
Osimhen, 25, found the back of the opposition net 76 times and laid out 18 assists in 133 overall matches for Napoli before moving to Galatasaray.
Arsenal, Chelsea in race to sign La Liga star
According to Spanish outlet Fichajes.net, Arsenal are hoping to rope in Getafe star Christantus Uche in the future. They are expected to face competition from London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur next year.
Meanwhile, Getafe are unwilling to part ways with Uche after adding the forward to their ranks earlier this summer. However, they would be forced to offload their star should any club trigger his £21 million exit clause.
Uche, 21, has scored once in 14 La Liga matches so far this campaign.