Cesc Fabregas admits in-form Arsenal forward Kai Havertz reminds him of himself during his Barcelona days. After his challenging start in north London – on the back of a £60million transfer from Chelsea last summer – Havertz has found tip-top form for the Gunners to help spearhead their ongoing Premier League title charge.
The former Bayer Leverkusen man has totted-up 11 goals and five assists from 33 games in the Premier League, and 13 of those goal contributions have come in his last 10 appearances. To make that return even more impressive, the Germany international, 24, has operated in two positions – much like Fabregas did at the Camp Nou.
Fabregas, 36, was pressed on Havertz during an outing on the Planet Premier League podcast. He said: “I don’t like to talk about myself, but he reminds me a little bit of me at Barcelona because I used to play the two roles that he plays as a false nine – in a way – and as a No. 8, and I know exactly what it feels like.”
“But now [Thomas] Partey is back – which is great news for Arsenal – then [Declan] Rice will come a little bit as a No.8 more often and [Martin] Odegaard. So his place I think from now on will be in that No.9 spot and it suits him very well for the way Arsenal want to play.
“I really like him because because he has very good link-up play, he attacks the spaces, he can score goals, he has good timing of his runs. He plays simple, he doesn’t try to make too many tricks or difficult things.
“He does what he has to do, he’s very simple in that, very basic, and that’s what makes him good. He’s scoring lots of goals, important goals, the fans seem to like him and he’s a big plus for Arsenal.”
