“He’ll do whatever the team needs” - Gary Neville compares Arsenal ace Kai Havertz to Liverpool legend

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has compared Arsenal star Kai Havertz with former Liverpool attacker Roberto Firmino. Havertz joined the Gunners in the summer of 2023 for a reported fee of £65 million and was initially under a lot of scrutiny.

However, the German has turned in some crucial performances for the Gunners in 2024. He was once again in the middle of things as Mikel Arteta's side beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford on May 12. Havertz set Leandro Trossard up for the solitary goal of the game (20').

Neville has now made an interesting analysis about Havertz, saying (via Mirror):

"Havertz is doing a similar thing to what Firmino did at Liverpool. He drops in, he links the play, he provides a goal threat. But he is subsurvient to the team, he'll do whatever the team needs during a game. Remember for large parts of this season, there were large question marks over Havertz, but he's become a really important figure."

Neville added:

"I used to think that Firmino was a wonderful player for Liverpool. [Sadio] Mane and [Mohamed] Salah used to get all the main plaudits and the credit. And that's right, but I always used to mention Firmino because of the way he played, connecting midfield with the attack. Havertz is doing something similar."

Firmino scored 111 goals in 362 appearances across competitions for the Anfield outfit in eight seasons at the club.

Kai Havertz's stats for Arsenal this season

Despite initial struggles, Kai Havertz has become a key player for Arsenal as the season has progressed. The German has so far scored 13 goals and has provided seven assists in 50 appearances for the Gunners.

Havertz once again proved his quality against Manchester United. He is slowly turning the doubters into believers and has been settling in expertly under Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal currently have 86 points from 37 matches and are one point ahead of second-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand. The Gunners will need City to slip up if they are to lift the title.

Arteta's side take on Everton in a home clash on May 19 on the final matchday of the campaign. The race for the title, regardless of City's result against Tottenham midweek, will be decided on the final day of the league season.