S Poddar
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has heaped praise on Kai Havertz after his impressive display in which he scored a goal and provided an assist as the Gunners beat Wolves 2-0, wiping away fears that Arsenal was in dire need of a new striker.
Havertz, who really found his feet as a center-forward towards the end of last season, retained his spot ahead of Jesus for the Premier League opener. According to Arteta, Havertz represents a player who gains confidence and becomes more accepted within the team: “I think every player needs time to adapt and understand the club, the relationships, and the system. But Kai has earned everyone’s respect with his performances and how he has handled different situations.”.
The Gunners never looked like relinquishing their advantage at the Emirates Stadium as Havertz headed in Bukayo Saka’s cross to open the scoring before turning provider for Saka to double the advantage. It’s quite a turnaround for Havertz who, after his £65m transfer from Chelsea last summer, has now scored ten in his last 15 Premier League games after a difficult initiation.
While Arteta stopped short of title predictions, he maintained his players were already doing everything to ensure they can challenge for the Premier League this year. The Gunners really had to dig deep in the second half until Saka coolly finished to wrap up the victory following their dominant opening.
“The first half was very intense and very purposeful; we probably should have scored more,” said Arteta. “Then, in the second half, a bit sloppy, which gave the game to them a bit more open, but Bukayo’s brilliant goal makes all the difference.”
Despite this defeat, Wolves’ manager Gary O’Neil tried to be optimistic and stressed that “lots of positives” came from his team. He admitted, however, that new signings were urgently needed—with the club having sold Max Kilman and Pedro Neto this summer for almost £100 million prior to the window’s close.
“I’m proud of how we played, there was heart and quality, though some mistakes as well,” O’Neil said. “This league is hard. Next few weeks are important in terms of strengthening the squad. The more help we get, the better we’ll be.”
