Ray Parlour admits he had doubts over Arsenal signing Kai Havertz
Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has admitted he had doubts over the club signing Kai Havertz.
The Germany international attacker joined the Gunners from Chelsea on Wednesday in a £65 million deal.
Havertz did not particularly impress with the Blues, but his versatility caught the eyes of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
“Havertz was a bit of a shock!” 👀
“They needed one more quality striker.”
Ray Parlour admits he had doubts over #AFC signing Kai Havertz from #CFC. 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/OnMNlDoSAR
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) June 30, 2023
The 24-year-old can play as a striker despite the fact that he is primarily a midfielder.
The former Bayer Leverkusen star led the line for Chelsea for the majority of last season, but Parlour reckons signing a traditional number 9 would have made more sense for his former team.
“Obviously Havertz was a bit of a shock, because you can say he is not an out-and-out striker,” the former Arsenal midfielder told talkSPORT.
“I thought they needed an out-and-out striker. Jesus is there, Eddie Nketiah has done great when he has come in, but I think they need one more quality striker.
“But they went for Havertz, spent a lot of money on him, but Edu and Mikel Arteta must see something in him.
“He is a real good attacking midfielder, he is of a good age, has experience so let us see how he does at Arsenal. If he can improve, he can be a good signing as well.”
Parlour is not alone as a lot of fans also expressed their doubts about Havertz on social media.
However, Arteta knows what the German can do and is confident he is perfect for his team.
The former Chelsea ace was not prolific at Stamford Bridge, ending his three-season spell with 32 goals in 139 games.
However, he grabbed their only goal as they won the Champions League in 2021 and is capable of producing the goods when needed.
Chelsea played under three managers last term, and the instability affected Havertz.
He scored 38 goals in his last two seasons with Leverkusen and has 13 goals in 37 caps for Germany.
The new Arsenal man will thrive in the right set-up, and he will be keen to prove his detractors wrong next term.
He brings much-needed experience and quality to the table and should not have an issue hitting the ground running at the Emirates Stadium.
