Owen Hargreaves says he ‘loves’ Arsenal summer signing Kai Havertz (Picture: BT Sport)
Owen Hargreaves has heaped praise on Kai Havertz and predicted he will have a ‘big year’ at Arsenal following a £65m move from Chelsea.
Havertz will hope to establish himself as a key member of Mikel Arteta’s squad next season after a mixed three-year spell at Stamford Bridge.
While the 24-year-old scored the winner in the 2021 Champions League final against Manchester City, he also attracted criticism for his wayward finishing and lacklustre performances.
But Hargreaves believes it would be unfair to judge Havertz given Chelsea’s recent struggles and says he can flourish in multiple positions at Arsenal.
‘I love Kai. I think he has so much talent,’ former England midfielder Hargreaves told talkSPORT.
‘His body language is a bit like Mesut Ozil. I think he is misunderstood. He can play in midfield in an Arsenal team that has 70% possession.
‘He doesn’t have to be nasty. All he has to do is get on the half-turn and get his head up.
Havertz joined Arsenal in a £65m deal from Chelsea (Picture: Getty)
‘I think he also gives them a huge opportunity to rest Saka, Odegaard and Jesus at some point.
‘He can play in all three of those positions. Plus, he can play deeper. The deeper one is the hardest one, but I think his talent is undeniable.
‘He can do so much and I think with the issues Chelsea had, the ship sank and everybody went under with it.
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‘I don’t think you can judge anyone in those circumstances and I think Kai is in for a big year.’
Havertz joins an Arsenal side that almost won the Premier League last season, finishing five points behind treble-winning Manchester City.
The Germany international is keen to repay the faith Arteta has placed in him as he looks to help the Gunners end their 20-year wait for a league title.
Mikel Arteta’s side are set to kick-start their 2023-24 campaign (Picture: Getty)
‘I think he was giving me this message [of support] from the first second when I spoke to him,’ Havertz said when asked about playing under Arteta.
‘The first time, I felt the support straight away. And I think this is very important for me as a player. He just gives the trust to me and I hopefully can give it back.’
With their pre-season commitments concluded, Arsenal face Manchester City in the Community Shield final on Sunday, before kick-starting their Premier League campaign against Nottingham Forest on August 12.
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‘I think he has so much talent.’