We are just one week into the Premier League season, and Arsenal already have a significant injury setback.
News broke yesterday afternoon that, after only just recovering from his hamstring injury that ruled him out of half of last season, Kai Havertz is out with a knee problem.
It’s not clear what the specific injury is, but it looks like the German will be out of action for some time, which is not what Mikel Arteta needs with a trip to Liverpool coming up.
However, there is some good news for the Arsenal faithful, as the club are being linked with an international star who could be the manager’s next Havertz.
Arsenal target their next Havertz
It has been an interesting summer for Arsenal so far this year, as just a few weeks ago, following Viktor Gyokeres’ arrival, spirits were high.
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However, the sentiment in the fanbase took a nosedive this morning, mainly down to the news that Eberechi Eze looked almost certain to be heading to rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Unsurprisingly, this mood was not helped by the Havertz update, although Arsenal have acted quickly to give supporters something to look forward to with the Gunners incredibly hijacking Spurs’ bid to sign Eze, now agreeing a move themselves.
Eze hasn’t been the only Premier League attacker on the club’s radar. According to a recent report from the Sun, which has claimed Arsenal are still very interested in Morgan Rogers.
The report has revealed that the Gunners are now ‘weighing up a dramatic swoop’ for the Aston Villa star, who is valued at around £80m.
It goes on to claim that while the North Londoners were already keeping tabs on the Englishman, the injury to Havertz has only ‘increased the likelihood’ that the club will go back into the market.
It’s a lot of money to spend on one player, but Rogers is an outrageously talented player and would be more than worth it, especially as he could be Arteta’s new Havertz.
How Rogers would be Arteta's new Havertz
So, the first thing to say is that, yes, Rogers and Havertz have not played in the same position over the last couple of seasons.
However, while that is not the primary basis of this comparison, there are a few other similarities that suggest the Englishman could be Arteta’s new version of the German.
For example, while we are on the topic of positions, they both share the trait of being versatile and playing where their managers want them to.
In the case of the Villa star, he’s spent much of his time at the club moving between attacking midfield and both wings and has even spent a little bit of time up top, which might come in handy at the moment.
The former Chelsea ace, on the other hand, has primarily spent time leading the line, but was originally a left eight when he arrived in North London, and even spent some time on the right last season.
The other key similarity is that, if this transfer goes through at the price reported, it would be another massive signing from a fellow Premier League side, and one that is challenging the European places.
Finally, both players are now full internationals, and while the former Bayer Leverkusen player has far more senior caps to his name, that would be expected given the age gap.
With all that said, there is another massive reason why Arsenal should be doing all they can to sign the former Middlesbrough gem: his output.
For example, in his 54 appearances across all competitions last season, totalling 4496 minutes, the Halesowen-born “machine,” as dubbed by The Athletic’s Jacob, scored 14 goals and provided 16 assists.
Appearances
54
Minutes
4496′
Goals
14
Assists
16
Goal Involvements per Match
0.55
Minutes per Goal Involvement
149.86′
That means the often “unstoppable” midfielder, as dubbed by former Liverpool defender turned pundit Jamie Carragher, was able to average a goal involvement every 1.8 games, or every 149.86 minutes.
Having that sort of output in this team could be the difference between another second-place finish and glory.
Ultimately, even before the injury to Havertz, Arsenal should have gone all out to sign Rogers, but now we know the German will be out for some time, the club should be solely focused on bringing the Villa star to the Emirates.
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