Cesc Fabregas makes brilliant Kai Havertz comparison after £60m signing proves Arsenal worth

Cesc Fabregas admits in-form Arsenal forward Kai Havertz reminds him of himself during his Barcelona days. After his challenging start in north London — on the back of a £60million transfer from Chelsea last summer — Havertz has found tip-top form for the Gunners to help spearhead their ongoing Premier League title charge.

The former Bayer Leverkusen man has totted-up 11 goals and five assists from 33 games in the Premier League, and 13 of those goal contributions have come in his last 10 appearances. To make that return even more impressive, the Germany international, 24, has operated in two positions — much like Fabregas did at the Camp Nou.

Fabregas, 36, was pressed on Havertz during an outing on the Planet Premier League podcast. He said: «I don't like to talk about myself, but he reminds me a little bit of me at Barcelona because I used to play the two roles that he plays as a false nine — in a way — and as a No. 8, and I know exactly what it feels like.»

The ex-Arsenal captain added: «It's good because he now feels an important player for the team but, at the same time, you don't really know where you're going to play the next game. It can confuse you, as it's better sometimes just to stick to one place and get the best out of it.

»But now [Thomas] Partey is back — which is great news for Arsenal — then [Declan] Rice will come a little bit as a No.8 more often and [Martin] Odegaard. So his place I think from now on will be in that No.9 spot and it suits him very well for the way Arsenal want to play.

«I really like him because because he has very good link-up play, he attacks the spaces, he can score goals, he has good timing of his runs. He plays simple, he doesn't try to make too many tricks or difficult things.

Ivan