In a display of unwavering support for his new signing, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has urged fans to offer their full backing to Kai Havertz, who has had a mixed reception since his £65m move from Chelsea.

• Mikel Arteta calls for fans to support Kai Havertz, drawing parallels to Martin Odegaard’s initial period at Arsenal.
• Havertz’s “phenomenal” understanding of the game is particularly highlighted by Arteta.
• Arteta also names other players who have thrived under fan support, underlining the importance of a supportive environment.

Arteta’s case for Havertz

Ahead of Arsenal’s game against Manchester United, Arteta laid bare his optimism for Havertz’s future at Arsenal, despite some fans expressing their discontent.

Drawing parallels to Martin Odegaard, the Arsenal boss reinforced his belief in Havertz’s talent, stating that the German midfielder has “phenomenal” understanding of the game.

“I tell you what I feel about him, that I love him, that I see his qualities every single day in training,” Arteta said. “His work rate is excellent, a lot of the things that he’s done for the team is so good.

“He can play in so many different roles and play it so well,” added Arteta.

“He has a football brain, how he understands when to move, how to move, when to stay, when to run. It’s phenomenal. At the moment, it’s true that he’s played with three different people behind him and they are the ones that have to make him good.

“These guys depend on the ones in the back. I was a midfielder, if, the two central defenders are like this [eyes closed] and they give you the ball all the time to the wrong foot at the right time with the wrong pace. Disaster, I look bad. If I have good players behind me they make life much easier. So let’s do that.

“That’s what we are working for and what we are hoping. And I’m very convinced that that will be the case. Like we were with other places, it’s never a specific science.

“But when we have to add ingredients to something to taste good and to look good and to enjoy it, I think they need to feel supported, they have to feel loved. He’s doing the rest. Believe me, his work rate is incredible. The amount of speed that he runs, the distances, he won more duels than anybody else in midfield.

“So there are a lot of things, but the one that’s going to make him the player that we want, the difference, there are other things as well. But make sure that he doesn’t lose t those basic things that are really important in our way of playing. way of playing.”

Odegaard: A precedent for Havertz

The comparison to Odegaard isn’t arbitrary.

The Norwegian international initially faced scrutiny when he joined the club on loan in 2021.

However, his eventual success, underscored by his captaincy, stands as a testament to what players can achieve when buoyed by the support of their fans.

Havertz’s early days

Havertz, who joined Arsenal this summer in a substantial deal from Chelsea, has shown promise but also attracted some criticism.

Arteta firmly believes that with fan support, the German midfielder will “come good” at the club, particularly given his “excellent work-rate” and aptitude for understanding the intricacies of the game.

The evolving nature of the squad

Arteta also mentioned how players like Ben White, Gabriel, and Aaron Ramsdale have thrived under the fans’ support.

“More than two months [for Odegaard to convince fans],” Arteta explained”. “And with Gabriel Magalhaes, it was the same. Ben White could not play as a full-back, he could not play as a full-back.

“Aaron Ramsdale wasn’t good enough…and now we have signed another keeper [David Raya] and it’s a catastrophe. But Aaron Ramsdale wasn’t good enough for Arsenal. Bukayo Saka was a left-back and now he’s playing at right-wing.

“Granit Xhaka…we have so many examples, good examples. But the players have to love what they do. And I think they love more what they do when they feel supported.”

The manager affirmed the significance of a supportive environment for player development, stating, “It’s difficult to ask, especially our people in our stadium and our supporters for more, but my feeling is, give him love and we will get the best out of him.

“I think we have some very, very, very beautiful examples in the last few years with players that we have given a lot of support and be behind them and give them love and they have felt that and they just have exploded. A lot of good examples.

“So I will stick to that because not everybody is going to be willing for Arsenal to do well. But the ones that really by heart and soul, they really want the best for the club, let’s do it because there is a lot there to give us.”