Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has slammed Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta over the decision to sign Chelsea flop Kai Havertz by spending a big fee.
After joining the Blues back in 2020 from Bayer Leverkusen, the German international struggled to showcase his best in the Premier League over the last few years, though he helped his side win the Champions League in the 2020/21 season by scoring a goal in the final against Manchester City.
Having suitably been impressed by the German’s displays for Chelsea over the last few years, the Gunners have decided to purchase Havertz this summer by splashing a fee of around £65m.
However, writing in the Daily Mail, Souness has questioned Arsenal’s decision to sign Havertz for a big fee, considering the 24-year-old’s underwhelming performances for Chelsea in recent years.
The pundit further states that Arteta has signed Havertz with the hope of bringing the best out of the German. But given his previous managers Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter failed to do that, it would be difficult for the Gunners boss as well.
Arteta slammed for transfer decision
Souness said:
“Not all of Arsenal’s spending makes sense to me. They’ve laid out £65million on Kai Havertz. Surely you’re not spending that kind of money on what he’s shown at Chelsea in the past three seasons? They’ve shelled out in the hope that Mikel Arteta can get a very, very different tune out of him than Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel or Graham Potter ever did. Good luck with that one, Mikel.”
Arteta likes to have players who can play multiple positions and Havertz fits into that category perfectly as the 24-year-old can play anywhere across the attacking midfield position and can also be deployed in the centre-forward position. So, it appears Havertz’s versatility enticed Arteta to make a move for him.
Havertz has endured a tough start to this season but the North Londoners will be hoping that the former Bayer Leverkusen man will be able to find his form at the Emirates Stadium in the coming times.
Although it is looking questionable at the moment as to why Arteta has opted to sign Havertz, it might look like an excellent decision in the coming years if he manages to steer his career back on the right track as the midfielder is a highly talented player and possesses the potential to reach the top going forward.
