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Arsenal must get more out of Kai Havertz to ensure this season doesn’t slip through their fingers

Kai Havertz had to watch much of Arsenal’s 2025/26 season from the sidelines. The German attacker was injured in the Gunners’ opening game of the Premier League season and didn’t return to action until mid-January. Now fit again and back in the team, Havertz is hoping to make up for lost time.

 

Arsenal’s squad depth has got them through games this season. Viktor Gyokeres has faced criticism at various points of the campaign, but has 16 goals in all competitions to his name while Noni Madueke has more than justified his signing from Chelsea last summer by performing on both wings for his new team.

 

Havertz, however, is a higher calibre forward. He might not be an orthodox number nine, but his movement, first touch and manipulation of the ball make him special. This is why there was such anticipation around his return to the first team. So far, though, Havertz has underwhelmed in many of his performances.

 

The German international converted a penalty kick against Bayer Leverkusen as Arsenal saw off Havertz’s former team in a Champions League last 16 tie. He also found the back of the net against Chelsea in a Carabao Cup semi-final and against Kairat Almaty in the final fixture of the Champions League group phase.

 

Against Kairat, Havertz produced the sort of performance Arsenal fans had been waiting for. The 26-year-old was able to get on the ball often and in good areas. He was an all-round influence in the final third of the pitch, creating space for teammates around him while also offering a cutting edge in the opposition box.

 

“The team knows how important Kai is for us and how he can help the team to be much better and take the team to another level,” said Mikel Arteta after Havertz’s display against Kairat Almaty. So, the fact that he was able to do that today after such a long time was very impressive. The quality he showed, and the way he connected with the team, and the goal that he scored and the assists he made in the first half, it was a really positive performance.”

 

Since then, though, Havertz has gone through the motions in several matches. He hasn’t been the driving force many Arsenal supporters hoped he would be with the North London outfit now starting the most critical stretch of their entire season. Arsenal could still win an historic Treble.

 

Arteta has used Havertz as a number 10 behind Gyokeres as the central striker. He has also deployed the German international slightly deeper as part of the midfield unit. This latter ploy has been especially common when Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard have missed matches due to injury.

 

In this position, though, Havertz lacks the natural nimbleness in possession to be a creator for Arsenal on the ball. Arteta might be better served using Havertz as a starting figure in the number nine position with Gyokeres an option off the bench to stretch the field with his speed and physicality when opponents are tiring.

 

Bukayo Saka has struggled for his best form in 2026 and so the presence of Havertz next to the England winger might allow Arsenal to get more out of their first-choice right winger. Havertz might not be the natural centre forward that Gyokeres is and he might not score as many as the Swede, but the German could elevate Arsenal’s attacking level as a whole.

 

Havertz has the highest potential of arguably any attacking player at the Emirates Stadium. Arteta has always believed in the German international who was never set up to succeed as an Arsenal player. At Arsenal, though, Havertz is a key figure. It’s now time for him to remind everyone of that.