Former Arsenal captain William Gallas has criticized Kai Havertz’s performances in north London, saying Mikel Arteta and Co. made a mistake signing him in the summer transfer window.
Premier League aspirants Arsenal signed Havertz for a €75 million ($82.11 million) fee from crosstown rivals Chelsea. Unfortunately for the Gunners, the Germany international has struggled to put his best foot forward.
Playing 19 matches in all competitions, Havertz has only recorded one goal and an assist. Owing to his poor showings, the attacking midfielder has yet to cement a place in Arteta’s starting XI.
Gallas Says Arsenal Should Have Bolstered Other Areas Instead Of Signing Havertz
Speaking to Genting Casino, Gallas said he always knew the former Bayer Leverkusen man would struggle under Arteta, as he did not fit into the Spaniard’s system.
The Frenchman began (via FourFourTwo):
“I said at the beginning of the season that Kai Havertz would struggle for Arsenal… I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but he is still struggling.
“I think it was always going to be difficult for Havertz to adapt to the way that Arsenal play and the way that Mikel Arteta wants to use him.”
Gallas added:
“I don’t think he was the type of player that Arsenal needed to sign in the summer. When you look at the squad, in my opinion, there were different types of players that they should have prioritized. It looks like it was a mistake to sign him.”
Gallas Criticizes Havertz’s New Role For Germany, Says Nagelsmann Doesn’t Respect Arsenal Star
In Germany’s 3-2 defeat to Turkey on Saturday (November 18), coach Julian Nagelsmann curiously deployed Havertz as a left-back. Although Havertz got on the scoresheet, Gallas saw the positional switch as a sign of disrespect.
The former defender added:
“At 24, Kai Havertz is playing as a left-back for his country? Seriously? Something is very wrong.
“I don’t know what to say about this. For me, to make this decision, it seems like Nagelsmann doesn’t respect Havertz as a player. Havertz has spent his entire career playing as an attacking player and then you put him in at left back? I’m trying to think about it from the player’s point of view… this doesn’t look good.”
Havertz, who won the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea in the 2020-21 season, has played 41 matches for Germany so far, scoring 14 times and providing 14 assists.
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