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Kai Havertz has failed to live up to expectations due to frequent injuries, leading Arsenal to put contract extension talks on hold while also anticipating difficulty in cashing in on him at a high price this summer.
"A born physical player", a "hard as a rock" talent, and someone who "broke all metrics in the gym" — these are the ways Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has described Kai Havertz.
However, over the past year, the Gunners have been far from being able to deploy the German forward's talents as often as they would have liked. Havertz has only made 20 appearances this season. He suffered a knee injury in the season opener, sidelining him for four months, and combined with several other minor muscle injuries, his entire season has been fragmented.
Havertz's injury problems began in February 2025, when he strained his hamstring during a winter training camp in Dubai, requiring surgery and three months on the sidelines. Arsenal signed Gyökeres last summer for £64 million, aiming to have the two players compete for the starting center-forward position. However, Havertz injured his knee in the August victory over Manchester United, underwent surgery again, and was out for another four months.
After recovering from the knee injury, Havertz suffered two more minor injuries. The latest one forced him to miss Arsenal's 1-1 away draw against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals. He has only completed one full match this season — the team's 1-2 defeat to title rivals Manchester City last month. So, what does the future hold for Havertz at Arsenal?
A Favorite of Arteta Plagued by Frequent Injuries
Havertz has stated that this season has not been as he "expected", describing the process as "interrupted". The 26-year-old also said earlier in the season that suffering a major injury was a completely new experience for him, and he had "never really faced such a challenge before".
In the team's 1-0 victory over Newcastle United last Saturday, Havertz was substituted after just 34 minutes, looking extremely disappointed. Arsenal's attacking performance this season has been criticized, particularly for being overly reliant on set-piece goals. Havertz is one of Arteta's favorite players both on and off the pitch, and the team has greatly missed his ability to link up play.
Since returning, he has played both in midfield and as a forward. And when Arsenal have tried to break down opponents' defenses, Arteta has sorely missed this versatility. In the Champions League this season, Havertz scored three goals and provided one assist in five matches, including the winning goal in the first leg of the quarter-final against Sporting CP.
However, he only started once in European competition — against Kairat Almaty in January — but was substituted at halftime to build up match fitness. Despite his availability issues, Havertz has still contributed 5 goals and 4 assists in 20 appearances, averaging nearly 0.5 goal involvements per game, highlighting how much Arsenal have missed him when he has been unavailable.
But the team has never been able to field him frequently enough, with Havertz only getting 6 starts in the Premier League. As the season has progressed, questions have been raised about whether Gyökeres is truly suitable for Arsenal, especially when facing top opponents.
When Havertz has been fit, he has started and scored against Manchester City, with Gyökeres on the bench. This offers a glimpse into how Arteta would likely set up his tactics in important matches if the German could stay fit more regularly.
Havertz scored by pressing Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. For most of this season, without his movement and football intelligence, Arsenal's attack has sometimes looked clumsy.
Two Years Left on Contract: What's Next?
Havertz will miss Saturday's home league match against Fulham, where Arsenal hope to extend their lead at the top of the table to six points. Havertz joined Arsenal from Chelsea in 2023 for £65 million, and this summer he will enter the final two years of his contract, which runs until 2028.
Before this season, there were internal discussions at Arsenal about whether to offer him a contract extension or — if he had the outstanding season people expected — see what interest there would be in him on the transfer market this summer.
But now this process has been put on hold: Gyökeres 's performances have raised doubts, and Havertz's recent injury record has made it less likely that other clubs will pay his true value.
As a result, Arsenal have been linked with several forwards. Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has stated that Arsenal are among the clubs interested in forward Julian Alvarez. However, Arteta himself has not commented on this.