On December 27, 2025, as Arsenal hosts Brighton & Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium, manager Mikel Arteta has given positive news about Kai Havertz and the period leading up to his comeback from injury. After suffering an injury since August, Kai Havertz has been out of action for quite some time. Mikel Arteta says Kai will bring something different to the way Arsenal create chances in their attack.
The long road back after an injury
News of a knee injury suffered 30 minutes into Arsenal’s opening match against Man United had a significant impact on Kai Havertz’s season. He recently required surgery after causing a major setback to his recovery. This led to him being unexpectedly absent for a longer period of time. He was initially expected to be back in early December. However, recent photographic evidence showing Havertz taking part in full training this week provided a ray of hope. While Arteta stated after the recent Carabao Cup win against Crystal Palace that Havertz is “very close” to returning to the squad but is not yet ready for the match against Crystal Palace.
Arteta’s enthusiasm for Havertz’s unique impact
In his pre-match press conference, Arteta was effusive about Havertz’s impending return: “I think it will be a matter of days, if not weeks. Let’s see in the next steps how he responds to that. He is a player we have missed a lot, a player who takes the team to another dimension. So I am very happy to have him back soon.” The Spaniard praised Havertz’s efforts during rehabilitation. He noted how the forward has “destroyed all the benchmarks in the gym”, improving strength, acceleration and agility. This “other dimension” refers to Havertz’s versatility. His ability to drop deep, link play, hold the ball and get late into the penalty area, qualities that complemented Arsenal’s fluid attack last season. In addition, he topped the Premier League scoring charts with nine goals, despite missing chunks due to a previous hamstring problem.
Boost for a struggling attack
The Arsenal striker has been working in Havertz’s absence. Signing summer Viktor Gyökeresacquired for £64 million, has scored just five league goals and struggles in compact defenses. Gabriel Jesus also recently returned from his own long-term knee problem. This was a milestone with his first start in almost a year against Palace. Arsenal have not scored a single goal in open play (non-penalty) in their last three games in the Premier League. This makes it even more important that Kai returns to help with creativity and provide a strong physical presence. His return could also raise the level of competition and allow Arsenal to rotate players, and with a busy Christmas schedule looming – Aston Villa on December 30, for example – Kai’s return will be beneficial.
Team context and defensive concerns
Havertz’s positive news adds to an already difficult start to February for Arsenal. However, there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the fitness of some of their players. Defender Gabriel Magalhaes is currently recovering in Melbourne after suffering a thigh injury while on international duty with Brazil. Meanwhile, it appears winger Gabriel Martinelli may miss Saturday’s match after a knee injury, while young centre-back Piero Hincapié suffered a different type of injury but was able to complete last week’s match.
However, despite these setbacks, Arsenal currently sit at the top of the Premier League, two points ahead of Manchester City. They also play a more disciplined brand of football as they have not received any red cards so far.
As stated on GoonerNews.com
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