The manager of Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, has acknowledged that he has the ability to make a significant decision regarding the replacement of Kai Havertz, who is currently injured.
Havertz, who is 25 years old and has scored 15 goals in 34 matches for the Gunners this season, is the team’s leading scorer. However, it is highly unlikely that he will play again this season because he suffered a serious hamstring injury while they were participating in a warm-weather training camp.
On Friday, the club confirmed that he will require surgery in a statement posted on their official website “We were having a great camp in Dubai recharging, training, having some time off and connecting again with nature in a different environment, and then the injury happened in a very unexpected way,” Arteta said.
“He was going to stop a shot after a set-piece, but then he stretched the leg and felt his hamstring,” the coach said.
The question “Who will replace him?” was one of the first questions that fans requested to be answered.
As a matter of fact, Arteta, who is 42 years old, chose Raheem Sterling to start for Arsenal in their 2-0 victory over Leicester City on Saturday.
On the other hand, he was unable to make a positive impact on the proceedings, and Mikel Merino came in to take his place about 69 minutes into the match.
The substitution of Arteta proved to be decisive, as the Spaniard scored twice to hand the away team a crucial victory. This resulted in the gap between the away team and Liverpool being reduced to four points, which was the gap before the match between Wolves and the league leaders on Sunday.
Prior to the game, however, Arteta disclosed that he was contemplating the possibility of leading the line in a different manner.
During his time as a member of the broadcast team for TNT Sports, former Gunners defender Martin Keown admitted that he had been “looking at [Riccardo] Calafiori” as a possible option for forward positions.
Next, he inquired as to whether or not Arteta had given any consideration to the matter.
During an interview with TNT Sports, Arteta stated, “You know, it’s been done in the past on multiple occasions.”
With a lot of players packed into the box, they have the potential to become a threat, which is especially important when considering the context of the game. “We have the ability to use it against low blocks, which is an option.”
Naturally, Calafiori, who is 22 years old, plays the position of left back or center back most of the time; however, he has demonstrated some offensive ability this season.
The Italian international scored a stunning long-range strike during Arsenal’s 2-2 draw against Manchester City back in September. More recently, he scored an impressive half-volley in the 1-0 victory over Wolves on January 25. Both of these goals were scored by the Italian international.
