Arsenal narrowly missed winning the title by two points on the last day of the previous season. They will be looking to improve on their two second-place finishes in the Premier League in 2024–2025.
Even though Kai Havertz had a good first season with the Gunners, it is still not clear if he will be able to score enough goals to help Arsenal beat Manchester City in the Premier League.
Last season, Havertz played in 51 games across all tournaments for Arsenal. He scored 14 goals, set up 7 others, and logged 3,827 minutes, which helped the team finish second in the Premier League.
News about Arsenal moves
A report from Repubblica via Arena Napoli says that Arsenal is pursuing Napoli’s desired striker Victor Osimhen more fiercely than their league rivals Chelsea.
This summer, the Gunners have also been linked to Ivan Toney and Viktor Gyokeres, both strikers. But the Nigerian international, who has a £110 million release option, could be the player they go after near the end of the transfer window.
Over the course of last season, Osimhen played 32 games across all categories and logged 2,476 minutes. He set up four goals and assisted on 17 others.
A Look at Havertz and Osimhen Side by Side
Ben Mattinson called the Nigerian attacker a “air monster.” What makes him so appealing are his fighting skills and the fact that he is so dangerous in the air. The shooter, who is 6 feet 1 inch tall, is very athletic. He runs hard and can jump very high.
Havertz, who is 6 feet 3 inches tall, can control a game. But his style is different from Osimhen’s because he intentionally bumps people and uses his body to get calls instead of using strength to scare opponents.
First, it’s important to note that Havertz wins more aerial duels than Osimhen. He wins 3.35 out of every 90, while Osimhen only wins 1.81. This is true even though Osimhen is called the “aerial threat.”
It was already clear that these two have different ways of handling games. One example is Havertz, who often drops lower to connect players and wins aerial duels all over the pitch, which adds to his total number of wins in the air.
On the other hand, Osimhen is a box striker who wants to beat his opponent physically and get into the goal area. With his height and jumping skills, he wants to get balls into the box and put the finishing touch on them.
It looks like Osimhen has more of an impact on the game in and around the box, but Havertz seems to be better all-around. He averages more assists per 90 minutes, more progressive runs and passes per 90 minutes, and more actions that create shots per 90 minutes.
This is shown by Osimhen’s 6.83 touches in the penalty area per 90 plays, and his shot volume metrics—taking 3.69 shots per 90 plays and making 1.53 of those on target per 90 plays—show how he wants to affect the game.
Arsenal’s Havertz is definitely an important part of the team, but they might need a clinical box scorer to win the Premier League. Because of this, the Nigerian star could start ahead of Havertz, giving the German player a chance to play in the middle of the pitch.
