It’s rare for an Arsenal player to receive praise from opponents, and it’s even less common when those opponents were also rivals’ teammates. But in this instance, it’s none other than Dimitar Berbatov who gives the much-maligned Kai Havertz a ton of praise. Berbatov captivated with his slow, somewhat carefree technique; he hardly ever appeared to put in much effort, but he was deadly and prolific. It’s telling that the Bulgarian, on short notice, identified Havertz as the player who most resembles him in style, without saying that Havertz is on that level.
Who is the current Premier League player that resembles your playstyle: calm, composed, and deadly?” the reporter said. “Kai Havertz is the first person that comes to mind. It’s not that he and I are from Leverkusen, but he has a certain way of moving around the pitch—he’s not necessarily in a hurry; he’s watching, he’s studying, he’s taking his time,” said Berbatov, pausing a bit before continuing. He also has a good feel when handling the ball.
We as fans are all too often culpable of looking for the next _______. How long have we at Arsenal been awaiting Vieira’s Heir, for example? (Don’t search my post history, thank you very much). However, it’s something altogether different when it’s the legend himself offering the comparison. For Berbatov, one of the silkiest and subltest footballers in recent memory to name Havertz, unprompted, as his apparent heir has to signify something. If Havertz were to achieve even half of what Berbatov achieved for Leverkusen, Tottenham, or Man U, there’d be no more talk of 60m down the drain (although that might necessitate a new chant for the lad…).
Havertz shares Berbatov’s lazy, somewhat carefree playing style, which betrays a lack of passion. Havertz has made analogies between Mesut Özil and himself. Though Havertz might not have the same technical excellence or vision as either, the comparisons are nonetheless worth taking into account. In fact, the parallels denigrate him for his perseverance and diligence.
Having basically taken over Granit Xhaka’s #6 position, Havertz has outperformed the Albanian, winning 3.2 aerial duels per 90 to Xhaka’s 1.1 and 7.2 duels per 90 overall. I don’t wish to ruin Xhaka’s scheduled return to the Emirates by bringing up this amazing rate of return. Much of the hard donkey labor that Havertz has been performing has gone unnoticed. This is the kind of job that Giroud used to do. That was never the kind of contribution that Özil or Berbatov made.
Havertz can transform Berbatov into a prophet or an oracle if he can convert this current purple patch—which has seen him score four goals in seven outings comprising a total of 638 minutes—into something more permanent. I think we can all agree that Haverz still has a ways to go before he can justify the transfer cost and weekly wages we are paying.
In Havertz, Berbatov sees a reflection of himself. Havertz has shown glimps
