At this stage, the Arsenal ace must be wondering what more he needs to do.
What must he do to silence those critics? And, perhaps more pertinently from the player’s own perspective, does he really care?
It’s hard to imagine that the lesser point can be answered with a ‘yes’. Especially after surely the Premier League’s most harshly-criticised performer served up yet another slice of humble pie and a side of ‘told you so’ flavoured ice cream.
‘£60 million down the drain’, they sang. Well, £65 million, to be precise. An assist for Leandro Trossard‘s only goal of the game at Old Trafford – the ninth time in the last 13 games in which he has either scored or set up one of his Gunners team-mates – represented another match-winning contribution from Kai Havertz, Arsenal leaping over arguably their most daunting obstacle in the Premier League run-in.
Kai Havertz heroic again for Arsenal in Manchester United win
Still, Graeme Souness remains unconvinced.
When quizzed by talkSPORT, the former Liverpool, Newcastle, Southampton and Blackburn Rovers boss insists that Arsenal do still need a classic number nine, Havertz leading the line for much of the campaign in place of a more ‘classic’ penalty-box striker.
“I think they need something else, yeah, I do,” Souness argues (13 May, 10am). “I still have reservations (about Havertz). I don’t think he’s aggressive enough.”
Looks, as they say, can be deceiving. Like Mesut Ozil before him, much of the criticism sent Havertz’s way seems to focus on his rather languid stride and his uber-cool visage. But, taking his tally to 20 goals or assists in Arsenal colours, surely we should have reached the stage in our analysis where the former Chelsea forward is not being judged on how relaxed he appears to look on a football pitch, and more what he offers on and off the ball.
Simon Jordan, sharing Souness’ cynical streak, insists he has not yet seen enough to row back on his own criticism of Kai Havertz, referring to the big-money signing – very unfairly given the standard of his recent performances – as a ‘tax write-off’.
“If you throw enough stuff at a wall, sometimes it will stick,” was Jordan’s response when asked if he has been won over by Havertz.
Of course, with Arsenal perhaps just one win over Everton away from their first league title in two decades – providing Tottenham do their neighbours a favour against Man City on Tuesday – Havertz will not be worrying himself about the opinions of pundits.
Gunners can win Premier League title next weekend
The man who really matters, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, staked his reputation about his £65 million summer arrival, and his faith is being rewarded with interest now.
“I’m going to be the biggest fan of Tottenham ever (vs Manchester City),” Havertz laughs. “We all are going to be! Let’s hope for the best.
“We know we need (Ange Postecoglou’s side to win). And they are a really tough team to play against as we saw a few weeks ago (when Arsenal edged to a 3-2 win over Spurs).
“But hopefully they do it.”
“Winning, I think, encourages you to win more and be better equipped and better prepared,” adds Arteta, who’s Arsenal side have now won more games this season than in 2003/04’s Invincibles campaign.
“It’s 27 wins in the Premier League. The most in the history of this club. That’s not progress that’s history. We had to earn the right to go to the last day and live moment, to try to win the Premier League.”
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