MX23RW : Tuesday, April 15 04:33:30| >> :120:9568:9568:

Kai Havertz: Arsenal legend slams "fickle" critics of Gunners striker amid goalscoring struggles

Exclusive: Arsenal great slams
© Imago
Arsenal legend Ray Parlour jumps to the defence of Gunners striker Kai Havertz, hitting out at "fickle" people for their criticism of the Germany international.

Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has slammed "fickle" critics of misfiring striker Kai Havertz, who has "done a great job" since making the high-profile £65m move from Chelsea in 2023.

The Germany international is suffering from a confidence crisis in front of goal at present, letting several golden opportunities pass him by in the Gunners' last three matches.

Havertz failed to make his mark in Wednesday's 2-1 North London derby win over Tottenham Hotspur, prior to which he was also guilty of poor showings against Manchester United in the FA Cup - missing the crucial penalty in the shootout - and Newcastle United in the EFL Cup.

The 25-year-old's profligate displays triggered a wave of sickening online abuse towards him and his family, with his wife sharing threats she had received towards the couple's unborn child in the wake of the Man United loss.

However, three-time Premier League winner Parlour has leapt to the defence of Havertz, telling Sports Mole: "In the striker position, he's done a great job for Arsenal. Everybody turned their nose up when he signed, but then suddenly he got on a great run, and then we go, 'oh, what a signing.'

Parlour: 'Arteta can get the best out of Havertz'

"People are fickle a little bit. Mikel Arteta has obviously seen something in him that he can get the best out of him. He's still a young man, he's got lots of experience playing for his country, but you can't put all the weight on someone's shoulders. You've got to have a little bit of help around him to bang the goals.

"I know Saka's out, which is a big loss. You can see they miss him quite heavily on that right-hand side. Martinelli has got to step up, people like Trossard have now got to get an opportunity. He's got to step up and give him a little bit of a hand on Odegaard as well, who's been brilliant since he's been at Arsenal."

Havertz has still managed a respectable 12 goals from 28 appearances in all competitions this season despite his recent wasteful streak, but Arteta currently has little choice but to start him up front in every game.

The Gunners lost Gabriel Jesus to a season-ending ACL injury in their FA Cup loss to Manchester United, and their only other centre-forward option is 22-year-old Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, who is yet to make his senior Arsenal debut.

Arsenal took the risk of not signing a new number nine in the summer transfer window, but Arteta has confirmed that the club are searching for attacking reinforcements in the January window following Jesus's devastating blow.

Parlour sends Arsenal stark transfer warning

Ray Parlour in action for Arsenal on August 24, 2003© Imago

However, Parlour - who played with the likes of Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry during his time at Highbury - has warned Arsenal that it will be "very hard" to find a ruthless attacker this month.

"I like Havertz, I think he's a genuine player," Parlour added. "He has a go every week, but he's not an out-and-out striker, and they know that as a club. That's why they've been probably looking to buy an out-and-out striker, because they haven't got one at the moment.

"A goalscorer who's going to be in that box, who's going to make these runs in the box. With the players they've got, they've certainly got the creativity to give a striker lots and lots of chances. But they don't have anyone who's going to put the ball in the back of the net, which is very hard to find these days."

Arsenal have long admired Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres and Newcastle United's Alexander Isak, but moves for either attacker in January are regarded as practically impossible given the finances involved.

Instead, the Gunners are reportedly pressing ahead with a loan move for Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic, but Arteta has been warned that he has already missed out on one "perfect" signing.

Ray Parlour was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of NetBet Sports Betting.

ID:562911:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect6987:
Written by
Ben Knapton

Click here for more stories about Ray Parlour

Click here for more stories about Arsenal

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
 Gabriel Jesus has sustained a suspected season-ending ACL injury on January 14, 2025
Read Next:
Arsenal miss again: Which "perfect" Jesus replacement has Arteta let slip by?
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool32237274314376
2Arsenal321712357273063
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest32176951381357
4Newcastle UnitedNewcastle31175956401656
5Manchester CityMan City32167962422055
6Chelsea32159856391754
7Aston Villa3215984946354
8Bournemouth321391052401248
9Fulham32139104743448
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton32121285149248
11Brentford32127135248443
12Crystal Palace311110104140143
13Everton32814103438-438
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd32108143845-738
15Tottenham HotspurSpurs321141760491137
16Wolverhampton WanderersWolves32105174761-1435
17West Ham UnitedWest Ham3298153654-1835
18Ipswich TownIpswich3249193367-3421
19Leicester CityLeicester3246222772-4518
20Southampton3224262377-5410


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!