COYG.

Forwards · CF

Kai Havertz

Kai Havertz was part of the title-season forward group, but COYG keeps his player profile away from unsourced tallies. His Arsenal story is still a useful one: role changes, pressure, and important moments without pretending the numbers were bigger than they were.

Profile
bornAachen, Germany, 1999
signed2023, from Chelsea, £65m

Before N5

Havertz was Leverkusen's golden boy, a Bundesliga debutant at seventeen in 2016 and the division's outstanding young attacker by twenty. Chelsea paid £71m in 2020 and got the biggest moment money can buy — the only goal of the 2021 Champions League final against Manchester City — but never a settled role. Three seasons of shifting positions and shifting blame ended in 2023, when Arsenal paid £65m and much of football laughed openly.

The Arsenal chapter

The first months were awkward; the conversion to centre-forward changed plenty about how Arsenal could play. In the title year the profile treats him as a squad piece rather than the whole attacking story. The songs can still be loud without the numbers being invented.

How he plays

Havertz is a nine built from ten parts: he drops to link, spins in behind, and times late runs into the six-yard box where his height matters. He presses the first line, gives the midfield a target, and can make a messy attack feel connected.

Timeline

Honours

See the full Arsenal honours record for the club-wide list.

Publication record

Squad snapshot checked 24 Aug 2026. This page is a men’s first-team editorial record; availability and selection can change after publication.

Squad sources

Links and source labels are shown exactly as retained in the published record.