Comparing Arsenal’s record with and without Kai Havertz since his arrival
Kai Havertz has been an almost ever-present for Arsenal since he was first signed from Chelsea back in 2023, so it will be interesting to see how Mikel Arteta’s side fare without the Germany international for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign.
The Gunners’ title hopes were dealt another blow following the news that Havertz, one of Arteta’s most trusted players, will be out of action until next season after he suffered a hamstring tear in Dubai.
Only William Saliba, Gabriel, David Raya and Declan Rice have played more minutes for the club since Havertz’s arrival. He’s made 84 appearances in all competitions, starting the vast majority, and only missed five games entirely.
Going back to the start of last season, Arsenal actually have a better record without Havertz in their starting XI (76%) as opposed to with the German (61%) – although the discrepancy in sample size is worth noting there.
Havertz is something of a divisive figure in the football media, often criticised for failing to take chances while not resembling the classic, traditional No.9 that many pundits insist is the missing piece of the jigsaw. But he’s a key player for Arteta’s gameplan and rarely misses a game.
The 25-year-old has started 21 of the Gunners’ 24 Premier League outings this season. But they have taken seven points from nine from the three games he’s missed: a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest when he was rested followed by a 4-1 thrashing of Brentford and 1-1 draw against Brighton, when he was ill in early January.
Havertz also watched on from the bench in Arsenal’s 3-2 League Cup victory over Crystal Palace in December.
On that occasion, Gabriel Jesus stepped up in his absence with a memorable hat-trick – but the Brazilian will be unable to deputise this time around, also sidelined until next season.
That cuts to the core of Arteta’s current predicament, with fellow key attackers Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli also in the treatment room for the foreseeable futures.
Arsenal are looking particularly light in attacking options amid this injury crisis and have come under criticism for failing to reinforce the squad in January after seeing a bid knocked back for Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins.
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Here’s how Arsenal’s stats with and without Havertz stack up going back to the start of last season.
With Kai Havertz
Games: 72
Won: 44
Drawn: 14
Lost: 14
Win percentage: 61%
Loss percentage: 19%
Goals per game: 2.2
Goals conceded per game: 0.8
Without Kai Havertz
*All games in which Havertz wasn’t in Arsenal’s starting XI, including games he appeared as a substitute. The numbers in brackets correspond to games he missed entirely.
Games: 17 (5)
Won: 13 (3)
Drawn: 3 (1)
Lost: 1 (1)
Win percentage: 76% (60%)
Loss percentage: 5% (20%)
Goals per game: 2.1 (2.2)
Goals conceded per game: 0.8 (1.2)
