“He is a constant threat" - Mikel Arteta claims Arsenal star can be a big asset against Manchester City

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta claimed that Arsenal star Kai Havertz can be a huge asset for them in their crucial Premier League fixture against Manchester City on Sunday, March 31.

The Gunners and the Cityzens are locked in a tight three-way Premier League title race along with Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool. The Reds and the Londoners sit on 64 points while City are on 63 points after 28 games. The Gunners, though, have a better goal difference than Klopp's outfit.

Ahead of the massive contest, Arteta spoke to Sky Sports about his side and their preparations for the fixture. He heaped praise on Havertz, saying that he will play a key role and warned Manchester City about his qualities. Arteta said:

"He [Havertz] is a constant threat. He can threaten you in behind, he can come to good spaces and provoke a lot of issues positionally for the opponent. And yeah, he has become a real threat in the opponent's box as well because now he is scoring goals."

The German attacker moved from Chelsea to Arsenal at the start of the 2023-24 season for a whopping £65 million. After some struggles in the first half of the season, he has now become an important player in Mikel Arteta's plans.

Haverz has been deployed as a left-sided midfielder, a false nine and a centre-forward, and has excelled in all three roles. This season, he has bagged nine goals and three assists in 39 games across competitions, with four goals and two assists in his last four Premier League matches.

As the Premier League title race heats up and the Champions League nears its business end, Gunners fans will be hoping that Havertz can keep his incredible run of form going.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta ready to set his friendship with Pep Guardiola aside for the Premier League title race

The Arsenal boss is ready to set his friendship with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola aside as they remain entrenched in the Premier League title battle.

Arteta had previously served as an assistant to Guardiola for three-and-a-half years at City, before taking up the top job with the Gunners in 2019. He has re-established Arsenal as contenders in the league although they have still not won the Premier League since their invincible 2003-04 season.

Talking about his relationship with Guardiola and what the future holds for their friendship in his pre-match press conference, Arteta said:

"It had to change. My admiration and what I feel for him certainly hasn't. In my opinion, he is the best coach in the world by a mile and he's one of the nicest people that I've met in football."

"Certainly he's one of the ones that I've had the most fun and laughter working with. That's going to stay there forever. At the moment, the rules are the rules and you're gonna have to adapt to it."

Manchester City host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium this weekend in a crucial fixture in the Premier League title race.