'Powerful and intelligent' - hybrid Havertz flourishing at Arsenal

It took a while to found what position Kai Havertz was champion suited to but, now established arsenic a striker astatine Arsenal, he is flourishing.

The German world scored his 5th extremity successful 9 games connected Tuesday to thief nan Gunners beat Paris St-Germain 2-0 successful nan Champions League.

After being linked pinch moves for strikers Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen successful nan summer, Havertz is showing he could supply nan firepower Arsenal request this play to conflict for trophies some astatine location and successful Europe.

"He has been unbelievable," enthused Arsenal leader Mikel Arteta aft nan PSG win.

"His shot brain, nan measurement he understands space, timing, nan measurement he brings group together and his activity ethic is incredible.

"Every clip he is astir nan container he is simply a existent threat and he is 1 of nan main players astatine nan moment."

Havertz whitethorn beryllium flourishing successful beforehand of extremity now, but his finishing is simply a world distant from erstwhile he first arrived successful England to motion for Chelsea successful 2020.

Signed by past Blues leader Frank Lampard, he arrived arsenic an attacking midfielder but during his clip astatine Stamford Bridge he besides played arsenic a mendacious 9 and arsenic a centre-forward arsenic they tried to found his champion position.

"I deliberation erstwhile he came to Chelsea it wasn't rather clear," Lampard said connected Amazon Prime.

"He was a very talented player, his position wasn't rather clear.

"He'd been a number 8 much of a midfield player, he'd been a number 9 and we ne'er sewage to nan extremity of his communicative astatine nan Chelsea. What was his champion position?"

In his 3 years astatine Chelsea he ne'er scored much than 8 Premier League goals successful a season.

Havertz did people nan victor successful nan Champions League last against Manchester City successful 2021, but he besides missed immoderate beautiful large chances passim his clip astatine nan nine and erstwhile Arsenal paid £65m to motion him past summer, it raised a fewer eyebrows.

Initially, his struggles successful beforehand of extremity continued and it took him 10 games to people his first extremity for nan club.

But Arteta's religion successful Havertz arsenic a striker yet paid disconnected and he vanished past word pinch a respectable 13 Premier League goals.

Against PSG, he displayed each nan facets to his crippled apt picked up from having played a number of positions earlier yet mounting into nan striker role.

His touch representation showed him dropping heavy to thief commencement attacks, drifting wide and successful nan container he showed conscionable really objective he tin beryllium by scoring from 1 of conscionable 5 touches he had successful nan area.

"He plays that hybrid domiciled wherever he is successful midfield and past he is arriving [in nan box]," Lampard added.

"He is really getting to grips pinch that competitory separator which gives him different layer.

"There is simply a earthy talent and he has ever had it."

Havertz put Arsenal up pinch a header aft 20 minutes erstwhile he hit PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to a transverse to caput home

"He looks for illustration he is enjoying it more," erstwhile England and Newcastle striker Alan Shearer said connected Amazon Prime.

"He doesn't mind nan battle, he doesn't mind dropping into nan hole. The astir important part, he sewage his goal, he was really brave and sewage his reward for going successful there."

Havertz's attacking statistic are now immoderate of nan champion among forwards successful nan Premier League, pinch only Manchester City's Erling Haaland, Liverpool's Mohammed Salah and Chelsea's Cole Palmer boasting a amended expected goals ratio.

"His value is to cognize wherever to beryllium astatine nan correct time," erstwhile Netherlands, Real Madrid and AC Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf said connected Amazon Prime. "That comes from moreover nan large number nines I played with."

Havertz is nary Haaland, but what striker is?

But while Manchester City person 1 of nan champion centre forwards successful nan world, Arteta is now much than happy pinch nan subordinate that leads his line.

"He is truthful powerful, but arsenic good he is truthful intelligent nan measurement he occupies nan spaces, nan measurement he glides everything together," he added.

"His activity ethic and now he is astir nan container and you person nan emotion that he is going to people a goal."