By James Paterson.

Kai Havertz. One year ago today, when someone on the street mentioned the name Havertz, they would be greeted by gales of laughter. Yet a year later, his name commands respect. From the streets of Germany to the halls of the Emirates, he truly has turned his fate around.

From the beginnings of his career, Havertz had the makings of a footballing maestro. Coming through the ranks of Bayer Leverkusen, Havertz was promoted from the youth team in 2016, and became the youngest ever debutant in the Bundesliga, showing signs of future promise. He made his debut for Germany in 2018, yet his real big breakthrough came in the 2019/20 season, where he scored 18 goals and provided 9 assists at the fresh age of 20. He did this by playing as an attacking midfielder, thriving in open space and expansive play with late runs into the box, where his positional awareness came to the fore. However, this attracted the attention of a club with whom he had a mixed reputation: Chelsea.

At Chelsea, Havertz received criticism for his lack of goal output. Chelsea played a more possession-based style of football than Leverkusen, and Havertz struggled to make a lasting impact in the team, only scoring 19 goals over 3 seasons. He was played in multiple positions and roles, never finding the one that truly suited his game style, and he was made fun of and criticised for this. On top of this, he had a growth spurt over his time there, growing from 6 foot 2 to 6 foot 4, which meant he had to adjust to these changes and lacked some coordination due to this. That being said, he won the champions league with the club in 2021, scoring the winning goal in the final after making a darting run and touching the ball past the keeper, truly a monumental moment. Yet despite these fleeting glimpses of magic, such as his sublime touch and finish against Newcastle, he was seen as surplus to Chelsea plans with the squad overhaul under Todd Boehly, and ultimately his Chelsea career ended in a whimper.

When Havertz came to Arsenal in 2023, many were surprised at the extortionate fee of £65 million, as he had done little to warrant this from his performance at Chelsea. His national team record was better, with 19 goals in his time there, but his performance at Chelsea were certainly sub-par. Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager, first saw Havertz as a midfielder due to his physicality which Arsenal was lacking. But he lacked the awareness and game sense to play here, with him often getting caught in possession and unable to influence play. At times he looked completely out of his depth. This sluggish start was typified with him not registering a single goal or assist in his first 9 games, only scoring his first goal with a pity penalty in a 4-0 win against Bournemouth. He was mocked and ridiculed. But Arteta persisted with him, and found him a new position to play in, as an out and out striker. This surprised many as he was known to be wasteful with chances at Chelsea, yet hard work in training and a higher quality team around him finally led to Havertz unlocking his true potential.

The turning point for many was his aggressive challenge in the match against Newcastle in November. He finally showed the passion that Arsenal and Chelsea fans had been longing to see, crashing through the legs of Sean Longstaff in a challenge which could have seen red. It was an awful tackle, but the desire showed typified how hard he had been working and how he longed to prove fans wrong. After this he finally hit form. Moving up to play striker, his physicality and hold up play was crucial to Arsenal’s title bid. No longer was he required to be agile and have quick feet in midfield which had hampered him for so long. In 2024, he has only been bested by Haaland in premier league goals so far, and over the 2023/24 season as a whole, he scored 14 goals and had 7 assists which mostly came in the second half of the season. He is now a key part of the Arsenal team, justifying his price. Whilst praise must go to Arteta for recognising his potential, the hard work of Havertz to work through mockery and humiliation is what has truly enabled him to be where he is today, and now he inspires millions of young athletes to do the same and keep working hard.