"Every bad ball he plays gets magnified" - Pundit weighs in on Arsenal signing's treatment on social media after underwhelming start with club

English pundit Kevin Campbell has suggested Kai Havertz's slump at Arsenal has seen him garner unnecessary criticism on social media.

Havertz has endured a difficult spell since joining the Gunners from Chelsea in the summer for £65 million. The German has been handed a midfield role by Mikel Arteta but it's not reaping much reward thus far.

The 24-year-old has managed just one goal and one assist in 12 games across competitions. Many have questioned the huge fee Arsenal paid to bring Havertz to the Emirates in the summer.

Campbell has acknowledged that Havertz hasn't lived up to his price tag but insisted he needs time. He told Curtis Shaw TV (via HITC):

"We want our £65 million player to be ripping it up, but he isn’t, at the moment. Offensively, we aren’t ripping it up, at the moment, so it’s going to take time."

The former Arsenal striker thinks Havertz's struggles have been heightened among fans in comparison to other players:

"It seems like every bad ball he plays gets magnified. I have seen people make a lot more mistakes than Havertz and not get called out. That’s the life of a £65 million signing at Arsenal. I have been at the ground. What happens at the ground to what happens on social media is very different."

Campbell alluded to social media and he feels that Havertz's problems are being exemplified by fans online. The Englishman is adamant that the German is trying:

"On social media, you would think that Kai Havertz is stinking the place out left, right and centre. Costing us week in and week out. He’s not. He does put a shift in. He is a continuity player. It’s just taking him longer to settle in what his manager wants him to do.”

Havertz was recently replaced by Fabio Vieira in Mikel Arteta's starting lineup amid his failure to reach expectations. He spent the majority of his spell at Chelsea in a more attacking role but is taking time adapting to midfield at the Emirates.

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Gabriel Jesus suggests he's unhappy playing on the wing for Arsenal

Gabriel Jesus, meanwhile, has been forced to play as a winger on three occasions this season amid injury issues. Arteta has opted to use Eddie Nketiah in the center-forward's role, which has led to the Brazilian being forced out wide.

The former Manchester City striker has claimed that he made clear his desire to be a number nine at Arsenal when he joined in July 2022. He said (via 90min):

"When I chose to transfer from City to Arsenal, Edu [Gaspar] and [Mikel] Arteta spoke to me, and I made it clear that I would like to play as a 'nine'."

Jesus added that he was considering making the point that he was signed as a nine but that he wants to help the team:

"This was Arsenal's idea, for me to play as a nine, loose. This season has been different, we have had injuries, and in the last three games, I played on the wing. For a while, I thought about saying that I want to play as a nine, but I'm here to help the team."

Jesus has started the season with three goals in nine games across competitions. However, none of those goals have come with him playing as a winger.