Petit lauds Arteta as ‘humble’ Arsenal stars help Havertz to forget Chelsea ‘nightmare’ | OneFootball

Kai Havertz after scoring against Brentford for Arsenal

Emmanuel Petit has heaped praise on Mikel Arteta and the “humble” Arsenal players for helping Kai Havertz to get over his Chelsea “nightmare”.

Havertz has scored two goals in two games for the Gunners having been dropped from the starting XI for several games in October and November.

Ther Germany international struggled for form at the Emirates following his big-money move from Chelsea in the summer, but now looks as though he’s finding his feet.

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And Petit says Havertz still needs time before the Arsenal fans will see the best of him, but praised Arteta for the way the manager has handled the 24-year-old in recent weeks.

“He came to Arsenal with a huge amount of pressure on his shoulders and he was still carrying a lot of mental baggage after a dreadful season at Chelsea. Game after game, he was criticised heavily in the press,” the former Arsenal star told Lord Ping.

“When you are criticised every week, that can affect your confidence as a player. He has also played in so many different roles, which wouldn’t have helped him. I think Havertz has had quite an unsettled couple of years.

“It was a nightmare for him at Chelsea last year and you could see that when he came to Arsenal, he was still affected by that. I think he needs time.

“I said a few weeks ago that Arteta should put him on the bench to relieve him of the pressure on his shoulders; try and give him minutes slowly. I think that step-by-step approach has brought the best out of him, and helped him rebuild his confidence.

“Havertz is in the right place. The Arsenal dressing room is the best dressing room that he could be in as a player.

“The group are very humble guys who love to play together with a great team spirit, which is exactly what he would have needed after the challenges he has faced over the last couple of years.”

Havertz has played in a number of different roles this season, including a brief stint at left-back for his country, but Petit believes the key to long-term success will be nailing down the German’s best position.

“I think Havertz will find his best position because I believe in Arteta and I believe that he will have a development plan for Havertz. I think the best is yet to come for Havert, he added.

“If I was picking his best position, it would be as the left midfielder of three with a license to break the lines and score goals.”