Eagle-eyed Arsenal fans spotted exactly what Kai Havertz said in a Gunners training ground video this week – and it speaks volumes.
Havertz, 25, has led Arsenal’s attacking line for much of the season, having already chipped in with four goals and one assist in 11 Premier League appearances this term.
The former Chelsea man was called up to Germany’s squad for the November Nations League fixtures and got on the scoresheet during a 7-0 drubbing of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday, 16 November.
Now, his attention will have turned back to club side Arsenal, who take on Nottingham Forest in the Premier League tomorrow afternoon.
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Havertz is likely to be among the starting line-up at the Emirates, but he admitted that he would like to have an attribute that one of his Gunners teammates possesses.
This week, the German was asked, “What is the one quality of your teammates you'd like to have?" by the club’s social media channels when appearing to enter the team’s Sobha Realty Training Centre.
Several players, including Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino, gave their thoughts highlighting “[Gabriel] Martinelli’s pace”, “wanting to be able to header like Gabriel Magalhães” and “Martin’s [Odegaard] technical ability".
But, Havertz said: “Defending from [William] Saliba,” to the surprise of Arsenal supporters who could not help but voice their thoughts on the player’s admission, via social media.
One fan said: “Kaiii wants to defend, bro, let's focus on G/A assistants.”
A second added: “[Kai] Havertz, as our striker, wants to defend. We are finished.”
A third exclaimed: “Havertz can’t mention “striker” qualities because he thinks he’s got them already… stop dragging him.”
With another saying: “My striker wants to defend. I'm finished.”
A fifth asked: “Defending of Saliba? Arteta still thinks the guy should've been LCM, I'm convinced. The moment that project failed, Arteta has grilled him ever since.”
Of course, Havertz already presumably backs his own ability as an attacker, which could be the reason he chose to highlight Saliba’s defensive skill.
Despite some fan’s claims regarding Havertz and Arteta, the Arsenal boss complimented his player in October.
“I think he [Kai Havertz]’s an amazing role model,” Arteta explained in October during a press conference [via Arsenal.com]
“The way he behaves every day, the way he is as a person, the way he lives his life, how much he loves to play football to compete.
“Again, part of that at this level is to handle and manage difficult situations. I think he’s an amazing example of that.”
Topics: Fan Reactions, Arsenal, Kai Havertz, Premier League, Chelsea, William Saliba, Mikel Arteta, Gabriel Martinelli
Luke Davies