Following a rather poor spell at Chelsea where he didn’t live up to the expectations that came with his big transfer price, Kai Havertz is experiencing something similar at Arsenal.
The German International made the switch between the two London sides over the summer, as Mikel Arteta sought to improve his team after falling just short in the Premier League last season.
Havertz was seen as a great piece of business, with Arsenal the seemingly ideal place for him to relaunch himself, but that has yet to happen, with constant criticism being thrown his way, the latest of which has come from Bernd Stange, a former East Germany manager.
The 75-year-old, relayed by Bild, took to his Facebook page to reply to Julian Nagelsmann, who had recently referred to Havertz as a ‘world-class player’ during a press conference.
Stange was having none of that, however, making it clear that he felt such an accolade should be reserved to those who truly deserve it.
On the Arsenal player, he wrote: ‘With his talent, the boy is undoubtedly one of the upcoming players and we undoubtedly agree on his talent. He is fighting for a regular place at Arsenal and has made eight appearances in 12 Premier League games.
“World-class players are absolute regulars who also stand out and sometimes decide games on their own. Ronaldo, Messi, Mbappé, Benzema comes to mind, including Neuer. Buffon, Matthäus or Ronaldinho in the past.’
He then explains that it’s mostly the fault of the media, who are very quick to ‘throw around the term’ as a description for good players, clearly to embellish their stories.
However, Stange warned Nagelsmann: ‘We coaches should be more cautious about this. Kai Havertz will realise it and perhaps develop into a world-class player. Today, he is not there yet.’
