Mikel Arteta sent Kai Havertz plea as Arsenal £65m transfer criticised

Things have not gone well for Kai Havertz at Arsenal so far. The German international has been criticised for his performances since making a £65million move to the Emirates Stadium — failing to register a goal or an assist in his opening five appearances for the Gunners.

Mikel Arteta has openly backed Havertz and continues to start the German despite his difficult start. Fabio Vieira and Leandro Trossard are pushing to take the 24-year-old's place in the Arsenal starting XI but it seems Havertz will be allowed more time to show his quality.

Former Arsenal star Mikael Silvestre believes Arteta mustdo his best to support the Germany international as he continues to settle into a new role and new club following his £65million move this summer. Speaking to bettingexpert.com, the ex-Arsenal defender said: “That miss (from Kai Havertz) against United was a perfect example of a player that’s doubting himself, and it’s a difficult moment right now.

«A lot is playing on his mind. He will need to get some goals and assists.

“He’s mature enough to find the keys, and Arteta will support him through this period because they invested heavily in him, and he should be an important player for the squad this season,» Silvestre added.

Gary Neville criticised Havertz for squandering a 'big moment' in his Arsenal career after failing to score a simple chance in the Gunners' 3-1 win over Manchester United. Neville didn't hold back in his assessment of the chance, as he said on Sky Sports' coverage of the game: «It's a bit of a mess, [Anthony] Martial in trying to do the right thing gets in the way of [Diogo] Dalot who tries to clear it.

»Havertz, well, questions have been asked of him already very early in his Arsenal career but that was a great