Ian Wright says Arsenal fans will be ‘very surprised’ by quality of new signing Kai Havertz
Posted by  badge Boss on Jul 18, 2023 - 06:07AM
Ian Wright expects Kai Havertz to thrive at Arsenal (Picture: Getty)

believes fans will be ‘very surprised’ by the quality of new signing and is ‘very confident’ the former star will thrive in Mikel Arteta’s midfield.

Arteta has following his .

The German international, who scored the winner in the 2021 Champions League final, occupied a more advanced position at Chelsea, often playing as a false nine.

But after Havertz’s move to the Emirates Stadium was announced, Arteta said: ‘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.’

Arsenal legend Wright expects Havertz to flourish at Arsenal and says supporters will be ‘surprised’ by his quality following three underwhelming seasons at Chelsea.

Much was expected of the Germany star following his £71m move from Bayer Leverkusen but Havertz flattered to deceive at Chelsea, scoring just 32 goals in 139 appearances.

Havertz spent three years at Chelsea before joining Arsenal for £65m (Picture: Getty)

Despite his struggles at Stamford Bridge, ex-Gunners striker Wright ‘cannot help but get excited’ by Havertz’s move to Arsenal.

‘I feel very, very confident about that midfield and what that midfield can produce,’ Wright said on his . ‘Especially with Havertz.

‘Havertz in that role, I think we are going to be very surprised by his quality as well. Arsenal fans are going to love him.

‘We haven’t seen nothing from him at Chelsea. Yes, he’s scored the winning goal in a Champions League final and stuff like that.

‘But he’s not a [number] nine, he’s not a false nine. He’s either a ten drifting in like he did for [Bayer] Leverkusen, scoring lots of goals in his first couple of seasons.

‘But I can see him as an eight, arriving in the box when Gabriel Jesus drifts out, leaving those spaces. I cannot help but get excited.’

Havertz said he was but insisted he was ‘super excited’ to join Arsenal, who finished second in the Premier League last season.

‘It’s super exciting for me to be joining this amazing club and to be part of the Arsenal family,’ the 24-year-old said. ‘This club has such a big history, and I hope we can achieve lots of things.

‘The mentality in the Arsenal squad is very high and you can feel that. That was one of the reasons why it has been so hard to play against Arsenal recently.

‘The aim is to win trophies and I’m going to give everything to do that for the supporters and everyone at the club. I’m now looking forward to meeting all the players and the staff when we come back for pre-season.’

Arsenal have also bolstered Arteta’s squad with the as he look to build on last season’s second-place finish.

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