Arsenal 2-0 Wolves: Who needs a new striker when you have ‘the new Berbatov’? | OneFootball

After finishing as runner-up in consecutive Premier League seasons, Arsenal hopes that the third time’s the charm.

Mikel Arteta’s men picked up where they left off by running out 2-0 winners against Wolves at home, their seventh league win on the bounce, and they were again indebted to ‘false nine’ Kai Havertz.

Having joined last summer from city rivals Chelsea, the German forward struggled initially but picked up pace after Arteta made a small tactical adjustment, shifting him into a deep-lying forward role to lead his attack.

“I didn’t agree with that then (that Arsenal needs a new striker) and I don’t agree with that now,” former Gunners stalwart Martin Keown recently commented.

“I thought maybe it was a bit of lazy journalism because if you think about the number of goals that Arsenal were scoring, they were the second-highest scorers.

“In the end, Manchester City just pipped them, but they’re scoring enough goals. I think Kai Havertz was a revelation in the end. He looked good for Germany as well.”

No stranger to performing this particular task, he effectively did so for the Blues before and ended last season with nine goals in 14 appearances in England’s top division. He made it 10 in 15 after breaking the deadlock against Gary O’Neil’s side.

It was his 33rd Premier League goal with only Ilkay Gündogan (44) netting more among German players in the competition (Mesut Özil also 33). The numbers don’t lie, and ex-Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott feels Havertz isn’t getting his just due.

“I think because we want a profile of a striker – a number nine – to have a certain look and image, I think we’re not giving him credit as a number nine,” he noted.

“But if you compare him to his style, like his attributes, are they much different to a [Dimitar] Berbatov, really? He’s able to travel with the ball long distances, he is technically very, very good. He scores. He always looks comfortable in front of goal.”

The opener against Wolves backed up Lescott’s thoughts. From a free kick, the Gunners regained possession and recycled it to Bukayo Saka on the wing. He found himself with plenty of space and decided to swing in an absolute peach of a cross, forcing José Sá to commit off his line, and Havertz was there to nod past into an empty net.

Havertz returned the favour later in the second half by assisting Saka’s effort to double Arsenal’s lead, which means he’s now been involved in 17 goals across his last 15 league appearances (10 goals and seven assists).

Furthermore, only Cole Palmer (21) has been directly involved in more Premier League goals in 2024 than Havertz (17), who scored and assisted in five of his last 14 Premier League outings, the most by an Arsenal player in a single calendar year since Robin van Persie in 2011 (6 times).

Elsewhere this opening-round victory was a personal success for centre-back William Saliba, who has now been on the winning side in 50 of his 66 Premier League games for Arsenal, making him the fastest Gunners player to reach this milestone in competition history, smashing the previous record held by Nacho Monreal (70 games).