Arsenal news: Kai Havertz's clear weakness highlighted as Gunners' £34m transfer mistake outlined

Kai Havertz has been a success since joining Arsenal in a £65million transfer from Chelsea, but he still has things to work on, while the Gunners might regret selling Emile Smith Rowe

Arsenal will hope to continue their strong start to the season when they take on struggling Southampton on Saturday.

The Gunners are unbeaten in nine games across all competitions in 2024/25 so far and will be confident of extending that streak at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Saints are yet to pick up a single win in the Premier League and have scored just three goals in six games.

By contrast, Arsenal are riding high following their impressive controlled 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday. Another win this weekend would ensure Arsenal go into the two-week international break in good spirits, especially considering they have been without captain Martin Odegaard since the last break.

Kai Havertz is one of the players who has stepped up in Odegaard’s absence, scoring against PSG, yet he can still improve, according to some experts. Here are the latest headlines involving the Gunners.

Havertz needs to work on finishing

Arsenal shelled out £65million to sign Havertz from Chelsea last summer, knowing his positional flexibility would be a real asset under Mikel Arteta. That has been the case, but Gary Lineker still feels he can improve in front of goal, having netted 19 in 60 games for the club.

“The only thing is he doesn’t look to me like the kind of striker to score 25 or 30 goals a season. But he’s got a lot about him,” he said on the Rest is Football podcast. “He holds the ball up really well. He’s got a lovely touch and a deftness to his game. He’s probably learning the role a bit as well because he’s obviously quite late to it but I was really impressed.

“The only thing is he does miss quite a lot of chances and probably not the best finisher. But even that with the fact he’s in those positions could improve, definitely.”

Ramsdale trophy admission

Image: Getty Images) Getty Images)

Arsenal will come up against Aaron Ramsdale on Saturday, with the goalkeeper the man tasked with keeping his old club out at the Emirates. Ramsdale joined Saints in a £25m summer move after seeing his No.1 spot taken by David Raya and has no regrets, despite his new team’s rotten form since promotion to the Premier League.

"If I was sitting on the bench, it [winning a trophy] wouldn’t have meant that much to me," Ramsdale told BBC One's Football Focus when asked about his move. "I just wanted to play football. As a kid I wanted to play football to play, not to just sit on a bench. Getting out and playing was my aim so I'm lucky I found myself here at Southampton."

Saha on transfer mistake

Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images) Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Another money-spinning move for Arsenal came in the sale of Emile Smith Rowe leave for Fulham. The Gunners pocketed £34m for the creative midfielder who had seen his form stall over the past few years due to injuries.

Smith Rowe has impressed in the first few months at Fulham, providing two goals and an assist in the Premier League so far. Former Fulham striker Louis Saha thinks Arsenal might come to regret selling him.

He told cryptocasinosuk.net : “I hope that Arsenal regret letting Emile Smith Rowe leave because that would mean that he has been a great signing for Fulham. You can tell when you watch Smith-Rowe that he was educated at Arsenal in terms of his speed of thought, the way he does things. He’s incisive and he makes Fulham play with more purpose and speed.”

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