Thomas Tuchel explaining Kai Havertz's abilities shows why Arsenal are signing him | OneFootball

A clip of ex-Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel breaking down Kai Havertz's strengths has re-emerged, with the attacker looking set to join Arsenal.

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His old boss even compared him to three Premier League icons.

Reports have revealed that the Gunners are close to reaching an agreement with the Blues for the transfer of the German international.

According to football transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, a deal for the 24-year-old is expected to cost £60 million, with a further £5 million potentially being exchanged if conditions are met.

A move from west to north London will bring an end to Havertz’s three-year stay at Stamford Bridge.

He will always have a place in Chelsea’s history books, having scored the vital goal in Porto which secured a second Champions League for the club.

But Havertz has not reached the heights he showed while at Bayer Leverkusen.

Having scored 46 goals and created 31 more in Germany, he has managed just 19 goals and 10 assists in 91 Premier League games.

Video of Tuchel raving about Havertz re-emerges

Given he has largely underwhelmed at points, some Arsenal fans are slightly surprised by the deal.

But maybe any fears will be put to rest after they watch this clip of former Chelsea boss Tuchel discussing Havertz’s role.

The German coach took over at Stamford Bridge in January 2021 and became a fan-favourite when he lifted the Champions League.

He worked with Havertz up until he was sacked in September 2022, mostly playing him as a focal point or just off a striker like Romelu Lukaku.

And he explained exactly why he put Havertz up front, even comparing him to two Arsenal legends and a former Manchester United striker.

“I see a bit of Dennis Bergkamp, Robin Van Persie, (Dimitar) Berbatov kind of player,” he told Glenn Hoddle when asked about Havertz’s best role.

“He can play in the half position because he has good runs, but also feels free from the nine and creates overload to one side.

“When I watched him at Leverkusen, I didn’t know that I would coach him, when I watched him at Paris (Saint-Germain), they made him play as a nine which was very interesting.

“I remember when I watched a cup final against Bayern (Munich) with my staff and said ‘this could be a good role for him’.”

Havertz arrived at Chelsea for a reported £75 million, on the back of an excellent season in Germany where he scored 18 goals in all competitions.

They clearly believed he had enormous potential, and Arsenal's interest indicates that they believe he can still achieve it.

It remains to be seen where Mikel Arteta might use him, but given Tuchel's tactical breakdown of Havertz's strengths, he could lead the line for the Gunners along with Gabriel Jesus.