Arsenal favourite Havertz aims cheeky dig at Chelsea

Tom Weber

Updated: 6 Apr 2024 14:24 BST
4 min read

Declan Rice and Kai Havertz during Arsenal's Premier League win over Brentford — © IMAGO

Kai Havertz has revealed that joining Arsenal was the perfect move for him and aimed a cheeky dig at Chelsea in the process.

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The German has been in good form in recent weeks after a slow start to life at the Emirates. Eyebrows were raised when the Gunners shelled out €75 million on the attacking midfielder, who was considered a flop at Chelsea despite scoring a Champions League-winning goal.

Havertz's growing importance to Arsenal, however, has now firmly dispelled any concerns about the fee involved. The positive development of the 24-year-old under Mikel Arteta can be nicely illustrated by his growing stocks. His Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) now sits at a whopping €88.8m; when he joined, he was worth just €70.3m.

FootballTransfers exclusively revealed in March that Arteta called one of Havertz's former coaches, Tayfun Korkut, before signing him. After talking to him, he was convinced that the German just needed an arm around his shoulder in order to get back to his best after his difficult time at Chelsea.

Arteta's faith has paid off handsomely, with Havertz having notched four goals and three assists in his last six Premier League outings. Now, the German has shared his side of the story and admitted that joining the Gunners was the perfect decision.

Havertz on joining Arsenal

Speaking to Sky Germany, Havertz revealed why he started slowly at Arsenal: "Even when I joined Chelsea, I expected that it would take some time to really feel at home and to get to know everyone so that you can have a good relationship on the pitch. I was perfectly aware that things wouldn't click after the first few weeks but that it takes time."

"I'm not someone who instantly feels comfortable in a new environment, it takes some weeks or months. I love the club [Arsenal], I love the players, the staff and the fans. It was definitely the correct decision [to move here] and I'm just happy to be here and to fight for titles this year."

"We can still win two trophies and now the important weeks of the season begin and I personally, as well as the team, will obviously do everything possible to win these titles." In Havertz's final season at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea finished in a lowly 12th and they yet again languish in mid-table, while Arsenal are firmly involved in the Premier League title race.