Kai Havertz gives honest thoughts on midfield role at Arsenal

Summer arrival Kai Havertz feels that Arsenal's style of play and the midfield role he has taken up during pre-season suits him.

The Champions League winner was deployed in a raft of positions during his three years at Chelsea as a rotating cast of managers tried - and largely failed - to get the best out of a player that arrived from Bayer Levekusen in 2020 for £72m.

Arsenal parted ways with an initial sum of £65m to sign the 24-year-old this summer as part of the club's extravagant spending spree. However, Havertz's exact role for the side that finished second in last season's Premier League remains somewhat foggy.

Mikel Arteta hinted that he was prepared to play Havertz in the midfield slot that Granit Xhaka vacated when he joined Leverkusen at the start of July. Alternatively, Arteta suggested that the 6'3 Havertz could act as a 'target man'.

Across Arsenal's pre-season US tour, in which he has found the back of the net against both the MLS All-Stars and Barcelona, Havertz has rotated in and out of a number of positions within the same match but has largely operated from that left-sided midfield role. When quizzed about his new position, Havertz was quick to say: "I really enjoy it, to play that position.

"I am more on the ball, more integrated in the game. I am really enjoying it. I think I have a lot of room to improve in the games, I am still adapting to the game and everything. So far it is working quite well."

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Havertz spent most of his final season at Chelsea as the team's central striker. While his time in west London will always be remembered for a Champions League-winning goal against Manchester City in 2021, Havertz's output for the Blues was never consistent.

Comparing Arsenal to his former employers, Havertz explained: "Obviously it is a completely different style of football than what we played at Chelsea. I think it's a style that suits me very well. Of course, it always takes a bit of a while to get used to that again. I am two-and-a-half weeks here. It is going to take some time, but I am giving everything to try to perform on a high level."

Havertz scored 19 Premier League goals for Chelsea in 91 appearances. Over the same period, 38 different players could better that tally in England's top flight. Even though his new role is more withdrawn, Havertz recognised that: "[Goals are] important for my position, and also with my height. I want to score goals.

"It's part of my game. I always have to arrive there. Hopefully, it works more times in the league now.

"The team is amazing and it definitely feels like home already. They have made it very easy for me to integrate with the team. It is fun to be with them, they are all so young and hungry. This is exactly what I wanted and I am very happy to be here."

While many are concerned with where Havertz will play, the Germany international admitted that he faces stern competition to get on the pitch in any role next season.

"I think everyone has to earn their position in the team," Havertz conceded. "You play when you train well and play well in the games. I think I have to also give everything in every session, in every game. That is how I get into the team. Not only me but every player. Always in a big club like this there is competition. I am going to give 100% to play."

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