Thomas Tuchel has given four reasons why Kai Havertz will end up taking Arsenal to the title

Kai Havertz has returned for Arsenal at the perfect time and after strong words in his past from managers Mikel Arteta and Thomas Tuchel the expectation is high to help take the Gunners to the Premier League title

Kai Havertz has returned to the pitch for Arsenal after missing 30 matches, having injured his knee against Manchester United in the opening match of the current campaign. After a collision with Manuel Ugarte, the German international felt something, but finished the game.

It turned out to be worse than expected, and the forward required surgery. Despite there being hope that he would be out for a matter of weeks, the former Chelsea man has missed more than four months of action.

It came having missed more than three months at the end of the previous season after a serious hamstring problem sent him under the knife for what would be the first of two procedures that year. Arteta has always been so praising of the 26-year-old, saying in a recent press conference that he “loves” the player and what he brings to the team.

Speaking just before the hamstring injury in early February of 2025, Arteta described the player as a “powerhouse” when asked whether he could start every game until the end of the season. A quote that would, of course, prove quite ironic when on a training camp in Dubai in the following weeks he would miss the majority of the remainder of the season.

"I don't know... it is a possibility [that he could start every game]," Arteta said. "Maybe we go through that scenario, and he scores another 15 or 18 goals? Can you imagine? That's a good scenario.

"Genetically, he is a powerhouse. He is so well-built. He is a player that anything you ask him, he is happy to do: to run in zone six, to be very robust, to make long distances. His body absorbs everything. And then he really looks after himself.

"When you see the professional, how he lives his life, it is immaculate. He does more than any other player there. That is not a coincidence. And then I think he is so intelligent.”

Hopefully, now back in the side he will indeed rediscover his form and stability too and be able to lean into plenty of what Arteta has said previously in re-establishing his place in the Arsenal first team. There had been some concerns spreading that the forward had suffered a setback as a result of comments made by Julian Nagelsmann.

This only worsened when, after returning to the bench against Aston Villa in December at the Emirates Stadium, he was then missing from the squad which played against Bournemouth. However, football.london understands this was purely the management of his load.

Where players have enjoyed some recovery days after featuring in the festive matches, Havertz has been working hard at the training ground, and the club have been very cautious about when the right time to reintroduce him was.

He was ready to make an appearance against Villa the week he was included, but circumstances changed in the following days, and the club decided against taking that risk at Bournemouth when they had nine match-fit options for the bench with the return of Declan Rice to fitness.

The pathway now is perhaps much clearer than some expected. A situation that the German will be determined to maximise for himself and the team.

While he replaced Gabriel Jesus against Portsmouth to come on and impress with some nice touches, flicks and passes, Viktor Gyokeres has been the predominant centre-forward starter in the German’s absence. Despite being the top scorer with seven goals across all competitions, the 27-year-old has faced considerable scrutiny for his performances.

With Jesus and Havertz Arsenal had a player who would drop in, link play and provide greater movement in the forward line. A target man and an occupier of the back line, Gyokeres has struggled to adapt to his new team, and the same can be argued for his teammates to him.

As of January 13, 2025, Havertz had amassed 12 goals across all competitions, adding five assists. Gyokeres, meanwhile, has seven goals and zero assists so far to date.

Havertz was on for a 20-goal plus season prior to injury, and with Jesus also out, the Gunners ended their hopes of trophies, with the majority of games seeing Mikel Merino occupy the centre-forward role.

This time around, six points clear at the top of the table, top of the Champions League table, having won all six matches so far, and having progressed into the fourth round of the FA Cup and the semi-final of the League Cup, Arsenal are gaining another option instead of losing one. The reality has the chance to boost the Gunners’ hopes across competitions.

However, the reality extends beyond this season for Havertz. His contract ends in 2028 and football.london understands there is a keenness from within to extend the player’s stay with the club.

Thomas Tuchel, in the wake of winning the UEFA Champions League, in which Havertz scored the winning goal in the final against Manchester City, spoke highly of the forward. Much younger and less experienced at the time, his compatriot’s words are very telling.

“The guy is so full of talent, he will not have a relaxed second with me,” Tuchel said in September of 2021, following a start to a season where he had mainly played off the right and behind Romelu Lukaku.

“Because if you have this amount of talent, you have to push yourself to the absolute maximum, and the absolute maximum for this guy, nobody knows. He has the body, he has the talent, he has the head, he has belief to play at the very top, he has everything.”

While at Chelsea, he couldn’t quite unlock what was seen previously at Bayer Leverkusen; he has the chance to do that with Arsenal in a season which could see him add a Premier League trophy to his collection, perhaps adding even more.