Arsenal star Kai Havertz has insisted he never let criticism get to him this season, despite something of a storm developing in the media.
The forward has been speaking to RAN in Germany about his first season with Arsenal after arriving last summer.
He joined the Gunners in a €75m deal from Chelsea in a deal that certainly raised eyebrows at the time.
Those eyebrows continued to raise as he struggled early on at the Emirates, failing to find a comfortable place in Mikel Arteta’s system.
That saw him struggling for goals, assists or even a positive performance early on and a growing belief that Arsenal had thrown a significant amount of money down the drain.
Those concerns were long gone by the end of the season, though, after a turnaround in his performances saw him finish the campaign with 14 goals and seven assists in 51 games.
He’s no longer seen as a waste of money but a vital part of Arsenal’s future instead and he insists he was confident that would always be the case, even if the storm clouds were circling.
“According to the media, there was a thunderstorm with lightning and everything,” he said.
“And it sometimes felt that way. People from the outside sometimes judge the performance to be worse than it ultimately is.
“But of course, it wasn’t easy for me at the beginning. I came from Chelsea, one of Arsenal’s biggest rivals, for a big transfer fee to a club that had an outstanding season last season. Fitting in again was very, very difficult for me personally.
“Once I got to know the people a bit and got used to the whole system, it became easier for me. It was also always clear to me that at some point the sun would shine again and that is what happened.
“I gained more confidence and also decided games. And of course that’s always good. That’s why I love it at Arsenal and feel right at home there.”
