The impressive form of the German star has made the Gunners more reassured about the number 9 position.

Arsenal had been quite troubled with their attacking issues throughout the first half of the season.

Mikel Arteta alternated between Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah in the number 9 position, but neither of them could meet expectations.

Jesus demonstrated good link-up play but lacked sharpness in finishing and was often plagued by injuries. Meanwhile, Nketiah was considered a less polished version of the Samba striker.

As a result, after witnessing the poor performances of the aforementioned duo, especially towards the end of 2023, Arsenal even considered bolstering the striker position as a top priority in the summer transfer window.

However, Coach Arteta found a solution to address this headache early on by deploying Kai Havertz from the number 8 position to the forefront of the attack.

The Spanish manager wanted Havertz to fill the void left by Granit Xhaka after acquiring him from Chelsea. Despite significant adjustments, the £65 million signing didn’t yield the expected results.

Therefore, Arteta decided to return Havertz to his rightful position that he previously held at Chelsea. In reality, Havertz will play in a hybrid style between the number 9 and number 10 roles.

Later, it was he, with his impressive height (1.93m) and intelligent positional awareness, who would penetrate the penalty area, receiving crosses.

Although he still had shortcomings in ball handling, which wasn’t always tidy, and also received quite a few fouls due to somewhat clumsy challenges, overall Havertz fulfilled Arteta’s task well.

With the contributions that the 24-year-old star brings, Arsenal’s transfer plans have also undergone significant shifts.