Watching Kai Havertz following Arsenal home and away, supporters can see a striker who exudes confidence.
Our German forward has continued to find the back of the net with such frequency this season, scoring against Wolves, Brighton, Leicester and Southampton in the Premier League.
But it’s been a gradual process. A key part of that development came at Vitality Stadium last season, where, after strikes from Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard gave us a two-goal lead, the team decided to give Kai a chance to get his first Gunners goal from the penalty spot.
He duly obliged, knocking it past Neto in the south coast sunshine.
“I think that was a turning point, for sure,” Mikel Arteta reflected in his pre-Bournemouth press conference this week. “The players took ownership, which is the best thing. They decided to do something for the player. That straight away made him feel special, it made him feel respected and admired. Everybody was willing and wishing the best for him. He delivered.
“That day, the connection towards the supporters went to a different level as well and everything started to click. Since then, the story is unbelievable. His involvement in every match, what he produces to help us win matches is incredible and very positive obviously.”
It’s not just about the goals. It’s also about the way in which Kai carries himself at Sobha Realty Training Centre, embodying the courage, resilience and respect that we pride ourselves on.
“I think he’s an amazing role model,” Mikel added. “The way he behaves every day, the way he is as a person, the way he lives his life, how much he loves to play football to compete. Again, part of that at this level is to handle and manage difficult situations. I think he’s an amazing example of that.
“We believed that he could do it. He had qualities that we were certainly lacking but it was a big question mark because he wasn’t producing what we required at this level a year ago, two years ago. We believed that a change of environment could affect him in a really positive way.
"You have a player that is going to try his very best to try and accomplish the objectives and then you have to make it work. It was a difficult start, but at the moment we’re in a great place.”
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