Havertz rewarding Arteta's faith and thriving as German ahead of Spurs showdown

In November, when Kai Havertz was struggling to convince following his arrival from Chelsea, most Arsenal fans would not have believed you if you had told them how much and how quickly his fortunes, and their perceptions of him, would change.

On Tuesday night, in the aftermath of a 5-0 win over his former side in which Havertz scored twice to send Arsenal three points clear, the Emirates Stadium reverberated to the sound of Shakira's 'Waka Waka', sung in honour of a player emerging as an unlikely hero.

It was quite a scene. The chant has been aired with increasing regularity since his first goal for the club, a penalty at Bournemouth in September. But never with quite this much gusto.

Many doubted him. Mikel Arteta did not. That much was clear in how much he used him even in those awkward early months. Havertz has now featured in all but one of Arsenal's 34 Premier League fixtures. He played in all 10 of their Champions League games, starting nine.

He has been a ubiquitous presence. But in different roles. In August, a debut as Arsenal's centre-forward in the Community Shield win over Manchester City hinted at Arteta's plan for him. Soon, though, he was moved back into midfield. It took him time to adapt.

It took time for Arteta and his staff to figure him out, too.

"We have to do that with every player," he explained to Sky Sports in December. "We can't just have one idea for what we want. In the end, we have to make that position, that role and the demands it has, fit the specific qualities of the player, to empower those qualities."

At the time, it felt like Arsenal had done that. Arteta was speaking days after the 4-3 win over Luton at Kenilworth Road in which Havertz had produced his most impressive performance yet for the