It’s been a strong start to the season for Havertz, who seems to have continued where he left off at Arsenal in the 2023/24 campaign.
After a difficult start to life at the Emirates, the Germany international found his feet in Arteta’s system, blossoming into one of the Gunners’ most important assets.
Havertz added to his goal collection this term by opening the scoring in the Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain.
Kai Havertz pinpoints key change to his game at Arsenal
Havertz arrived at Arsenal and was placed straight under the microscope given his questionable impact at Chelsea prior to his transfer.
The 25-year-old arrived with a lot to prove, which he has done after managing to turn his early fortunes around.
Arteta has had a huge impact on the player’s confidence boost, keeping the trust in his 2023 signing when things were tough at the start of last term.
There are a lot of things that have gone into Havertz’s resurgence, with the player himself making an admission after Arsenal’s Champions League win over PSG.
"It feels great to play here, I love the stadium, I love the fans." 🗣️
Kai Havertz is relishing life at Arsenal right now 🙌#UCLonPrime pic.twitter.com/hsi84iG4er
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) October 1, 2024
“I love the stadium, I love the fans, I’m just so thankful, back in the day I wasn’t the player who loved the duels and now I just love it,” Havertz said to Amazon Prime Video Sport.
The Germany international played an important role against PSG, showing his aerial strength just as he has all season, emerging as a crucial target man for the Gunners.
By Havertz’s own admission, the former Bayer Leverkusen ace hasn’t always enjoyed getting stuck in, which is something that has changed dramatically since his arrival at Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta has opened doors for Havertz
Arteta has always had great belief in Havertz, which is being repaid by the striker who is in searing form following on from his first season at the Emirates.
Maturity isn’t the only area of Havertz’s profile that has grown, with the forward certainly polishing his approach to duels, emphasising his new found love for that side of the game.
As per Sofascore figures, Havertz averaged 4.4 total duel wins per game over his final Premier League season at Chelsea, winning an average of 2.3 aerial duels per game.
Such figures have skyrocketed this campaign under Arteta’s guidance, with the German averaging a massive 7.0 total duel wins per game and 4.0 aerial duel wins.
The figures will balance out as time passes by however, the early signs of Havertz’s approach this season display his improvement since leaving West London.
Arteta has previously praised his striker’s application in games, applauding the 25-year-old’s ‘confidence’ after Arsenal’s opening day win over Wolves, via Sky Sports.
“He’s gained the confidence and the respect of everybody in the way he handles certain situations and in the way he’s performing,” Arteta said.
Things are going swimmingly for Havertz at Arsenal, with the forward finding a place to call home in N5 and a place of great importance in Arteta’s project.
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