Kai Havertz has praised the leadership qualities of Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard and revealed the exact moment that changed his Gunners career after a difficult start at the club.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta urged the club to spend £65million on their London rivals for Havertz in the summer of 2023 and initially faced criticism as the German struggled to settle.
It took ten games for the former Chelsea Champions League-winning hero to open his account in north London, amid a series of difficult performances, and he has since become an integral figure for the title challengers.
Havertz went on to score thirteen league goals during a stellar first season at the club and the playmaker revealed that despite initial doubts from outsiders about his move, he knew it was only a matter of time before better fortunes returned.
The first of his goals came from the penalty spot during Arsenal's 4-0 win over Bournemouth on the south coast last season, when the 25-year-old was presented with the ball in a show of leadership from Odegaard.
Now Havertz has revealed the importance his first goal has had on his Gunners career, telling The Men In Blazers YouTube channel: 'It [the penalty] It helped me a lot, it was very important for me, because when you come to a club and you know they are paying a lot of money for you, you feel a bit under pressure.
'I'm the kind of person who always needs some time to adapt, not only to the playing style but also to the people here.
'It took a while again, but I was confident that I could turn the tide. I know it seemed a little strange on the outside, but to me on the inside it was clear that my time was coming.
'I just worked hard and believed in myself. “I'm happy that I have such good teammates who gave me this penalty to gain some confidence and everything else went quite well last season,” he added.
Havertz's rise under Arteta's leadership has coincided with him playing his best football alongside Odegaard.
The Arsenal captain has only just returned from a long injury spell on the sidelines and Havertz explained why there is such a big difference in the team's performances when Odegaard plays.
Havertz stated, “He [Odegaard] is very important for us, he is the captain, someone who talks to us a lot in the dressing room and on the field.
'Someone who not only comes forward with words, but also with good deeds, takes the ball on the field in bad situations and that is very important for us.
“You just feel like he's on the pitch and not on the pitch, and he gives us so many different things, with and without the ball.
'If we put pressure on the goalkeeper or defenders, he is the first to go there and sprint towards them. “We are all very happy that he is back and that we have him back on the pitch,” the Arsenal star said.
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