Arsenal rue transfer blunder after Havertz injury

Cameron Smith

• 7 Oct 2024 14:00 BST
• 3 min read

Kai Havertz has been forced to withdraw from Germany’s squad for the October internationals through injury, with Arsenal left praying his knee problem isn’t serious.

The 25-year-old played the entire match as the Gunners came from 1-0 down to beat Southampton on Saturday, but the German Football Federation announced his injury after the game.

As a result, Havertz will not feature in Germany’s Nations League fixtures against Bosnia & Herzegovina or the Netherlands during the October international break.

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Furthermore, Arsenal will be praying that his injury isn’t serious.

The Gunners have already been forced to play without Martin Odegaard due to injury this campaign and losing Havertz would be a huge blow.

The Germany international has scored six goals in 10 games so far this season, and he has established himself as Mikel Arteta’s clear first-choice number nine, ahead of Gabriel Jesus.

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While Havertz has shone, Jesus has struggled and the Brazilian is yet to score in eight appearances in all competitions this campaign.

If Arsenal are forced to rely on Jesus for an extended period of time, their title charge could be significantly impacted and the Gunners may come to regret their decision to sell Mika Biereth this summer.

— The Other Bundesliga (@OtherBundesliga) October 6, 2024

Mike Biereth at Sturm Graz

Biereth joined Sturm Graz on a permanent deal for €4.7 million in July, having spent the second half of last season on loan in Austria, and he has started the new campaign in fine form.

The 21-year-old bagged a hat-trick against RB Salzburg on Sunday to take his tally to seven goals in nine matches and move into the lead of the Golden Boot race in the Austrian top flight.

Arsenal crucially included a buy-back option in Biereth’s contract at Sturm Graz, but with Jesus out of sorts and Havertz potentially set for a period on the sidelines, they could come to regret their decision to sell him this summer.