Mikel Arteta: 'Intelligent Kai Havertz feels more secure at Arsenal'
Arteta and the Gunners hierarchy came under intense scrutiny for forking out £65m on Havertz over the summer, as the Germany international had been a hit-and-miss player during his time at Chelsea.
Havertz initially struggled to adapt to his newfound role as a left-sided midfielder in Arteta's system and faced swathes of criticism from Gooners and rival fans, but he has begun to blossom in North London.
After Gabriel Jesus had made the breakthrough against Brighton, Havertz latched onto Eddie Nketiah's through ball and coolly lifted the ball over the onrushing Bart Verbruggen to put the game to bed in the 87th minute.
Havertz's insurance goal marked his fifth in all tournaments for Arsenal and his fourth in seven matches, having also netted against Luton Town, PSV Eindhoven and Brentford over the past few weeks, and Arteta can see the German's confidence growing in the capital.
«His confidence is growing and he feels more secure on the field. The fact he's scored one helped to score the second one,» Arteta told reporters in his post-match press conference.
«It's four in seven games now and he should have scored a header today as well in a really good position. But overall, his performances, the intelligence he shows on the pitch, the aggression, how he works defensively, it's top. Really good.»
Prior to Jesus's deadlock-breaking header, Arsenal endured 45 minutes of frustration against Brighton, who offered little in the final third but got to half time with their clean sheet intact thanks to the Gunners'
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