Arsenal chief Jorginho has spoken out about the support he offered teammate Kai Havertz after the German faced criticism upon his arrival in north London.
After a successful three-year spell in the west of the capital with Chelsea – including a winning goal in the Champions League under current England boss Thomas Tuchel – Havertz switched north in 2023 for £65 million.
However, the German failed to make a flying start. He scored zero goals in his first six league games, while failing to clarify exactly where he found himself in Mikel Arteta's side.
Since these early struggles, Havertz has soldiered on, deploying as a centre-forward while creating a plethora of goals. Yet his colleague Jorginho – who also played with the 25-year-old at Stamford Bridge – spoke about what has seen Havertz go from strength to strength and the comfort he needed after a torrid start.
“He's just an incredible player,” Jorginho told Rio Ferdinand on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast. “In the beginning, when people were attacking him, I thought, 'What are they talking about? Is this really happening, I can't believe it. ''
After failing to find the back of the net early in his Gunners spell, Havertz finished the campaign with 13 in total, including four consecutive games with a goal between February and March this year.
“I was like, 'Oh my days.' Actually, I went to Kai a few times and I was like, 'Kai, don't listen, forget it, you know what you can do.' This was crazy,” Jorginho continued. “How much he helps the team with the way he plays. For me the big improvement since he came to the Premier League is how tough he gets every day. It's like he's getting stronger.
“Now he's in a place that's incredible. The confidence he has, the confidence he also gives to the team. He's so smart; he always puts his body in the best positions and always has a solution. He finds solutions in situations that you don't think he can get out of.”
Despite Arsenal's less-than-ideal form – drawing their last two games and losing more ground to Chelsea, and failing to capitalize on leaders Liverpool's mistakes – Havertz still has five league goals to his name this season.
“He's just a ball player. A big one,” Jorginho concluded. “He came at the beginning. He got kicks and kicks and kicks, and he responded. The next time he put his foot in it and got angry when things didn't go his way. He's getting better and better every day.”
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