30 September 2023 , 18:15
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Mikel Arteta believes "everything will change" for Kai Havertz after he finally opened his Arsenal account in Saturday's 4-0 win over Bournemouth.
Havertz, 24, has been the subject of intense criticism since joining the Gunners in a £65million deal from Chelsea in the summer transfer window. The Germany international had failed to register a single goal contribution for his new club prior to getting off the mark on the south coast.
With the Gunners 2-0 up and cruising, Havertz was invited to take a penalty - Arsenal's second spot-kick of the afternoon - to break his duck. He made the most of his opportunity to put the game beyond doubt - and nobody was more delighted than his manager, who predicted that the tide will now begin to turn for Havertz.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Arteta said: "I’m really happy for the win, but I’m even happier to be part of a team that shows the human qualities that they do today. To show that empathy to a player that has some question marks they warmed me even more today. I’m so happy with our supporters the way they made him feel.
"If there’s a player who deserves that it’s him. Probably it will change everything. If he had any question marks about how we feel about him they are out."
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The Spaniard went into more detail about how moved he had been by the moment where Havertz was offered Arsenal's second spot-kick. He told BBC Sport: "What they did today for Kai was a really moving moment.
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Kai Havertz was mobbed by Arsenal players after scoring his first goal for the club against Bournemouth (AFP via Getty Images)"[He is] someone that is going through a period externally - not internally but externally - that he's getting questioned in certain areas. For the team to step up and show that empathy and that trust towards him, they won my heart today that group of players."
While there were plenty of positives for the Gunners on the south coast, the sight of Bukayo Saka limping off the field for the second match in a row was an unwelcome one.
And not only was Arteta unable to offer much clarity on Saka's issue after the match, he also revealed that Gabriel Jesus was struggling, too. When he was asked about Saka, Arteta added: "I don’t know yet. I haven’t had the chance to speak to him. Gabi as well was limping after the game."