Julian Nagelsmann delivers honest Kai Havertz verdict as Mikel Arteta gets dream Arsenal message

Arsenal star Kai Havertz was handed a surprising new role while on international duty with Germany. The 24-year-old has struggled at both club and country to establish himself in recent months with a number of mixed performances since his move to the Gunners, while his national team have won just two of their last nine games.

Under new head coach Julian Nagelsmann, Havertz has been forced to watch on from the bench in the last three friendlies for his country. With Germany hosting the next European championships in the summer of 2024, qualifiers have not been needed which has allowed Naglesmann to experiment in a number of friendlies and that was exactly what he did against Turkiye.

With Havertz named in the starting XI, along with the likes of Leroy Sane, Julian Brandt, Florian Wirtz and Niclas Fullkrug, where exactly Havertz would be playing was unclear — until Nagelsmann revealed all ahead of the clash. “Kai won’t always be in this position. I have a great idea, he’s an exceptionally good footballer," he said via Metro. «This is a very good option. He won’t always play as a classic left-back.”

Despite the understandable shock and awe at his decision, it seemed to be proven as a masterstroke when Havertz, as a very attacking left-back, found himself free in the box to sweep in the opener after just five minutes. From a defensive perspective, Havertz made eight clearances, five of which were headed, two interceptions and one ball recovery while also winning all of his aerial duels.

Unfortunately, he was later penalised for a harsh handball in the penalty area which did contribute to the winning goal being scored by Turkiye. However, Nagelsmann was full of praise for Havertz after the game, with a surprising admission made