It felt like the entire first half of last season was dedicated to asking where exactly the German would play for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta signed him to be a midfielder, but Havertz ended the season as the Gunners’ out and out number nine.
Curiously enough though, this was tweak borne out of necessity. Gabriel Jesus had picked up another injury knock, and with Eddie Nketiah struggling for form, it was Havertz who Arteta turned to to lead the line. It was not the plan, but things were going so well that the Spaniard couldn’t ignore what was happening before his eyes.
“A lot of times the players decide where they have to play,” he said after a 3-0 win over Brighton in early April. “You can have certain ideas but then you see certain relationships and it flows. When it flows you have to let it go. That’s what is happening with Kai at the moment and he feels really comfortable there. The team is really comfortable with him there and the rest has happened naturally.”
