Good post. A player like this also has a very high floor.
The worst case scenario with Havertz is that he remains inconsistent and a bit frustrating with the ball but is still a really hard working, highly coachable, tactically astute, positionally versatile player with unusual physical traits that make him situationally useful for beating the press over the top or getting on the end of crosses in a packed box when we’re chasing a goal. That’s a very valuable squad player that you might be very happy to pay 40m for. So the downside scenario here is that maybe we slightly overpaid for a player who is still a valuable contributor and in the rotation of players Arteta depends on. That’s not a mistake that will ever really hurt you that much.
The downside scenario with Pepe, in contrast, was that we paid 72m for a player that Arteta doesn’t even want in the squad at all because he can’t be trusted to do the most basic things, like stand in the right place, press at the right time, pass a ball without taking five touches, etc.
I didn’t even notice that the maths was off. Regardless, related to number, 85m pounds is a stinker.
Havertz at 64m is low risk. He starts for Germany, we could still get 30m for him in a couple of seasons of he bombs. Or, Mikel could get him to kick into gear.
£64m is very high risk. We’re Arsenal so when Arteta and Edu finally realises this guy is no good (remember Willian? He was theirs too), they’ll sell him for peanuts. £5m max.
Squads win leagues. Impact is the benchmark not whether his name is on the team sheet every week. This is where I have my doubts most. Have no issue with having quality on the bench if the manager can use them right to deliver results.
Being called a flop by outside influences means nothing. People still question Grealish ffs.
Is this normal? I assume the volume of passes between Saka to Ode is quite high.
Maybe Gabi is the problem
Perhaps most importantly of all, there’s a clear relationship between Vieira and left-winger Gabriel Martinelli, who is a pivotal part of the attack. There’s no such connection with Havertz; he only passed to the German five times in 77 minutes on Sunday, ignoring a series of overlapping runs on his outside and often skipping him when passing inside, aiming for Odegaard - double the distance - or even Bukayo Saka - triple the distance. Vieira received the ball from Martinelli three times in just 13 minutes, for comparison.
There seems to be several articles about why Havertz should be dropped and although some people are saying he might come good, he is holding our attack back.
So it will be interesting to see what Arteta does against Everton and, if he does pick him and there’s another uninspiring performance, what he’ll do in the next game against spurs.
Havertz going into a high pressure game, out of form, is out of the question because in a NLD, neither side can afford to have passengers.
I think ultimately Mikel will start him despite all the the pressure not to. I think his rationale will be that Havertz offers a physical presence against an Everton side that will heavily rely on their physicality.
He’ll pick him in both games imo. Havertz, so far, is still doing the off the ball Xhaka stuff, making runs, stepping up and bar one horrendous pass into midfield, being pretty good at keeping the ball.
Maybe I was naive to think Arteta wanted a more attacking player there. Maybe he really wants someone who can win duels, keep possession, make space and be the boring Honda Civic of the attack.
All still trying to kill him before he’s settled in?
Charles Watts said that “some of the salaries being quoted are wide of the mark” and Odegaard’s a convenient choice as he’s one of the last of our top players still on their initial contract.
