Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been warned that Kai Havertz would perform better if he played for a major Spanish club, setting up a potential move to either Real Madrid or Barcelona.
Arsenal shocked some of their fans when they spent £65million to sign Havertz from London rivals Chelsea last summer, despite the Germany international not exactly setting the Premier League alight during his spell at Stamford Bridge. After a tough start, Havertz has now gotten used to Arteta’s style of play and is thriving.
In his last five league appearances, Havertz has notched four goals and two assists. His influence on Arsenal is only growing, while Arteta loves the player as he can operate as either an attacking midfielder or a centre-forward.
After scoring just one goal in his first nine matches across all competitions, Havertz’s record now stands at nine strikes and three assists from 40 games this term.
The 24-year-old will be hoping to take his tally beyond 10 goals as Arsenal hunt both Premier League and Champions League glory. Arteta is delighted by how Havertz and his other Arsenal starters are performing, though it could lead to interest from European giants.
William Saliba has been looked at by Paris Saint-Germain in the past, while Martin Odegaard has been tentatively linked with a return to Real Madrid.
Havertz, meanwhile, may emerge as a target for Madrid and their Spanish rivals Barcelona.
Fernando Carro, the CEO of Havertz’s former club Bayer Leverkusen, has provided his intriguing take on the attacker’s future.
Carro has hinted that Havertz could push for a switch to Spain in the future, as La Liga would be better suited to his traits.
“We recommended Havertz wait, but he wanted to win titles,” the Leverkusen chief said of Havertz’s move to Chelsea in September 2020.
“We sold to Chelsea. One of the reasons was the ambition he had. (He’s) a player who, due to his football and quality, had the capacity to fit better in a Spanish club.”
While Havertz did not emerge into a world-class star while at Chelsea, he did achieve his dream of winning titles. He scored the winning goal as Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 in the 2021 Champions League final.
Havertz is now fully focused on helping Arsenal repeat that success and potentially win other major silverware under Arteta. In a fascinating twist, Havertz has missed out on lifting trophies with Leverkusen, as they are firm favourites for the Bundesliga title under Xabi Alonso.
