Arsenal registered an impressive 4-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
The Gunners had four different goalscorers in the game, but Kai Havertz was undoubtedly the standout performer with one goal and two assists against the German champions.
The 25-year-old delivered a quality pass for Oleksandr Zinchenko’s sublime opening goal. He repeated the feat with an impressive backheel for Leandro Trossard to find the net.
Havertz made it 4-0 in the Gunners’ favour after the hour mark. The German ace scored from six yards out after midfielder Granit Xhaka gifted possession with an attempted clearance.
Aside from his goal contributions, he completed 84 percent of his passes. Havertz started in the left central midfield role but played as a striker after Gabriel Jesus’ substitution.
Havertz continues from where he left off last season
The Leverkusen graduate had a fantastic end to the previous campaign with the Gunners with 15 goal contributions from his final 14 Premier League appearances.
He has continued to perform well during pre-season. Havertz scored a consolation goal in the 2-1 loss to Liverpool and shone against his former club yesterday.
The German was not at his best at the European Championship, but he has had no such troubles at Arsenal. He looks in good shape for the new season.
There has been much talk about Arsenal’s interest in Mikel Merino, but Havertz has proved he has the credentials to become successful in the number eight role.
Sofascore rated him 8.8 out of 10 yesterday. He is undroppable at the moment, and if he joins the club, Merino will have to earn his spot in the starting XI.
His versatility was a great asset for the club last term. Havertz and Jesus could share the striker duties as the Gunners don’t seem to be eyeing a marquee number nine.
Stats from Sofascore.com.
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