Arsenal has confirmed that they have signed German forward Kai Havertz from Chelsea on a five-year deal, which was previously reported.
The 24-year-old, who will wear the number 29 shirt in North London, is the first player to join the Gunners this summer. The deal is worth £65 million, of which £62 million will be paid upfront and another £3 million will depend on how well he plays.
“Joining this great club and becoming a part of the Arsenal family is very exciting for me. Havertz told arsenal.com, “This club has such a long history, and I hope we can accomplish a lot.”
“You can tell that the attitude of the Arsenal team is very high. That was one of the reasons why it has been so hard to play against Arsenal lately.
We keep moving forward.
Kai Havertz is a Gunner ❤️ pic.twitter.com/76j5BStw9e
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) June 28, 2023
“The goal is to win prizes, and I’ll do everything I can to make that happen for the fans and everyone at the club. I’m now looking forward to meeting all of the players and the staff when we come back for pre-season.”
Havertz moves to North London after a three-year stint with Chelsea, where he won the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, and the Club World Cup. In the Champions League final in 2021, he scored the game-winning goal.
The former Bayer Leverkusen player scored 32 goals and had 15 assists in 139 games for the Blues. He was their top Premier League scorer with seven goals at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Havertz was usually at the front of Chelsea’s attack, but Mikel Arteta, the team’s manager, says he wants to use the German in a deeper position as part of Arsenal’s midfield overhaul.
“Kai is a very good player. He can play a lot of different roles and is a smart player. “He will give us a lot more strength and variety in the middle of the pitch,” said Arteta.
“Kai and his family are welcome at Arsenal Football Club, and we can’t wait to start working with him when preseason training starts soon.”
Sporting director Edu also praised Havertz’s flexibility. In the early stages of his career, the 24-year-old played as a number nine, a number ten, a right winger, and a central midfielder.
“We’re happy to have Kai join the club, and everyone did a great job getting this deal done. Kai is an exciting addition to our team because he is good at hitting and can do a lot of different things,” Edu said.
“As a 24-year-old with a lot of experience, his signing is an important step towards strengthening Arsenal’s young core of bright players. We can’t wait to work with Kai.”
Now that Havertz’s signing is official, Arsenal will focus on getting West Ham United’s Declan Rice. They are thought to have had a £105m bid accepted by their London rivals, but there are still problems to be worked out about how the money will be paid.
The Gunners are also said to be in advanced talks to sign Ajax back Jurrien Timber. Havertz’s arrival could make it easier for Granit Xhaka to move to Leverkusen for £13 million, which is what he wants to do.
