Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta looks on after the draw against Wolves (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
The Germany international’s absence due to injury has certainly been one of the biggest frustrations for Mikel Arteta this season, as he can be so influential when fully fit and confident.
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Not everyone was won over by Havertz when he first joined Arsenal after a somewhat disappointing spell at Chelsea, but towards the end of a memorable 2023/24 season he clearly showed his importance to the side.
Havertz has so far been limited to just three Premier League appearances in 2025/26, but if he can return for the title challenge then there may be reason for optimism for the panicking Gooners.
Kai Havertz’s incredible run that almost won Arsenal the title
For all the talk of Arsenal being ‘bottlers’ in the title race, that is a far cry from what happened as they fought until the very last day of the 2023/2024 season.
Ultimately, it was a mid-season slump that cost them against a near-perfect Manchester City side who wouldn’t stop winning and eventually clinched the title by just two points.
Arsenal chased them throughout with a near-perfect run of their own, winning sixteen, drawing one and losing one of their last eighteen games.
Crucial to that series was Havertz, who contributed nine goals and six assists in the last fourteen games, so an average contribution of more than one goal per game…
?? Kai Havertz has scored nine and registered six assists in the last 14 games of the 2024 title run. ??
It’s time to reverse it. ?? pic.twitter.com/1GAzSYLhoX
— DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) February 21, 2026
Of course, Arsenal would also benefit if other players return to the form they showed then, with Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard not playing at their best this season, while they were fantastic week in week out at the start of 2024.
However, it is very clear that in the few games Havertz has played this season he has made the players around him look better, and he is so much more complete than struggling summer signing Viktor Gyokeres.
When will Kai Havertz be back from injury?
The Athletic recently reported that Havertz would be sidelined, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be out for too long.
As reported by the Evening standard Earlier in the day, Arteta even suggested the 26-year-old could feature in Sunday’s North London Derby against Tottenham.
AFC might do well not to rush Havertz straight back into the starting line-up, but at the same time there will be a real desperation to sign him and see if he can give Arteta the key to finally bringing the Premier League trophy back to the club for the first time in 22 years.
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