Mikel Arteta feels that with the scintillating form he is showing in front of goal, Kai Havertz has all the tools to become a 20-goal-a-season striker for us.
After scoring against Leicester City and Paris Saint-Germain in the past week, the German striker has netted in each of his last six games at Emirates Stadium in all competitions, taking him to five already in 2024/25.
He ended the previous campaign with nine goals in his final 14 league games as he began to find his feet at his new club, and Mikel feels that having taken his game to the next level, Kai has what it takes to be amongst the division’s top marksmen.
On why he has suddenly found the goal trail, Mikel suggested: “First of all, because he’s so good, because he wants it so much and because he’s surrounded by great players around him. The fact that he’s gone through some difficult moments just made him a better player, and a great person I think.
“He certainly has all the qualities and he certainly has the ambition to [score 20 goals a season]. In the end, scoring goals sometimes are very small details and a lot of things have to go for you, but he’s got it and his mindset has changed a lot in regards to that. He certainly has ability to do it in my opinion.”
With Martin Odegaard missing through injury, a change in formation has seen Kai partnered by Leandro Trossard in attack in recent weeks, a throwback to the old school big man, little man strike partnerships of yesteryear. The two have been extremely effective, helping the team score 14 goals in the five games our skipper has missed.
Mikel feels it is something that has evolved over the past few matches as the two began to dovetail nicely, and feels we have unearthed another string to our bow at the top of the pitch.
“We had to be different,” Mikel added. “The impact that Martin has in everything we do, it was too big to try to replicate it with one player. We tried to do it in a different way, adapting a few things, and using players’ qualities, players that can play in the right position, with the right chemistry around them. Maybe it took a game or two, but then it started to flow a bit better but we have found a way.
“We have to put players in positions and qualities where they can feel that they are in their strengths, and try to hide our weaknesses as much as possible. Without Martin we have other things we cannot do, but we have a bigger threat in other areas and we have to make the most out of that.”
Another player who received plenty of praise in Mikel’s pre-Southampton press conference was Thomas Partey, who put in a sterling shift against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek.
The boss feels Thomas is enjoying the fruits of his labour over the summer months, putting aside his previous injury issues to be the fittest version of himself, and the rewards are showing as he bustles around our midfield.
“He’s a massive player for us and he’s shown that week in, week out,” Mikel said. “He’s started the season really well, really fit. The way he came back post-holiday was probably in the best condition that he’s been, which was really helpful as well. He’s doing everything he can as well to be in the best physical condition.
“When you change certain habits and you want more consistency, things don’t happen overnight. If in two or three weeks it doesn’t happen and you throw in the towel, you’re going to waste the next two or three years of your career.
“I think his work ethic has been better than ever, defensively he’s been really solid and with the ball he had moments. [Leicester and PSG] probably were his most complete performances because he gave us everything that we want from him, and he can deliver that.”
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
