"Doesn’t do anything in there" - Pundit claims Arsenal star is not 'effective' in position given to him by MIkel Arteta

Football pundit Robbie Mustoe has claimed that versatile Arsenal forward Kai Havertz has not met expectations in the role he plays under Gunners manager Mikel Arteta. This discussion came after the Gunners' shocking 2-1 loss against Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday, December 31.

The Cottagers secured a comeback win against the north London club, thwarting their ambitions of reclaiming the top spot in the league standings. Arsenal have failed to win in their last three league games and are currently in fourth place, five points behind leaders Liverpool.

Robbie Mustoe called Arsenal's performance "flat" and claimed that the former Chelsea forward is "not effective" in his new role as a midfielder. Havertz has scored three goals in his last seven Premier League appearances, but failed to make an impact against Fulham. Notably, the 24-year-old German was unable to register a single shot on goal or complete a single dribble.

These concerns led to Mustoe's conversation about Havertz on a recent episode of The 2 Robbies, where he said (via TBR Football):

“They still look so flat, there was no cutting edge to their attacking play. The struggles of Martinelli continue, the struggles of Kai Havertz continue and this is what it is, he’s not effective, doesn’t do anything in there. We said that potentially by making those runs around Jesus to start on the bench by the way that it might be a way for him to add goals and to be effective and this was one that wasn’t.”

Havertz has scored five goals and provided one assist in 28 games across all competitions this season.

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Arsenal in talks to recall on-loan forward from Ligue 1 club

According to L'Equipe, the Gunners are in negotiations to recall Marquinhos from his loan spell at Nantes in January. Although it was expected to be a full-season loan, the forward has not seen enough game time to enhance his development.

So far this season, he has seen rather limited action, starting just one game. His playing time has spanned a mere 150 minutes across seven games. The Brazilian forward currently has one assist to his name for the Ligue 1 side.

Marquinhos could reportedly make an early return to north London to bolster Mikel Arteta's attacking options. The 20-year-old has played for Arsenal just six times in his career.