Mikel Arteta is refusing to nail Kai Havertz down to one position and says he wants Arsenal’s summer signing to help make his team “unpredictable” this season. The Gunners start the new campaign after spending over £200million on Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Havertz, who Ian Wright has tipped to be a big player for the north Londoners.
Havertz joined Arsenal after an underwhelming three-year stay at Chelsea which yielded only 32 goals and 15 assists in 139 games, although one of his goals won the Champions League. The German was used as a centre-forward in the Community Shield against Manchester City but can also play as a No 10.
And Arsenal are also expected to use Havertz as a No 8 in a midfield three. Arteta says he plans to regularly mix things up with Havertz and other players of his team harder to read for their opponents.
The Spaniard, speaking ahead of the first game of the season at home to Nottingham Forest, said: “We want to use the squad in a different way this season. And for sure we will have many more options.
“We can play different formations and shapes. And we can move structures in different ways that in the past we haven’t been able to do. I don’t want Kai Havertz to stick in one position.
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“I prefer to do that with other players as well because when you do that you are more unpredictable, you open your options, you open their minds to other things. When you explore that, and we have many examples of that in the squad, you get very good surprises.
“You need to understand when to do it and whether the player is capable to do it in that moment. I think it’s a good option to have.” Arsenal legend Wright is expecting big things from Havertz, who cost £65m.
Wright has backed the 37-cap Germany international, 24, to cause a surprise this season. He said on The Ringer podcast last month: “Kai is a player of top quality. He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield and variety to our play.
“I feel very, very confident about that midfield and what that midfield can produce, especially with Havertz. Havertz in that role, I think we are going to be very surprised by his quality as well. Arsenal fans are going to love him.”
Arsenal are meanwhile set to make a fourth summer signing in Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, who will join on loan with the view to a permanent move next year. Arteta added: “We’ve been trying to increase the depth of the squad and the quality as well, the ability to be more flexible. We want to have more quality and more interactions with players that can make us better.
“That’s the whole point of it. I think it definitely helps [to get business done early], especially for the player and getting to the environment and getting set. It was something very positive for us.”