Former Arsenal defender William Gallas has advised the team to replace Kai Havertz with Victor Osimhen if they hope to win the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta faced criticism for signing Kai Havertz from Chelsea in the summer of 2023 rather than a natural centre-forward.
The Germany international originally struggled to settle at Emirates Stadium, but he has now established himself as a staple in the Gunners’ assault, appearing in 68 games and scoring 21 goals.
Havertz had a good start to the 2024-25 season, scoring four goals in his first seven Premier League appearances, but he hasn’t scored in his last four league games.
Gallas, who spent four years at Arsenal, has advised Arteta to look beyond the German forward and sign Osimhen, who is presently on loan at Galatasaray from Napoli, if they want to win the Premier League.
Speaking to Genting Casino, the 47-year-old stated, “Kai Havertz has never ever been the right man to take Arsenal to the Premier League title. Havertz is a good player, but he’s not top-class. I’m sorry, but he’s nowhere near a world-class level. Arsenal needs a player to replace him as a striker.
“I still don’t understand why Victor Osimhen is at Galatasaray; he needs to play in the Premier League, and he can play at the top level at Arsenal. It’s difficult to understand football sometimes; he played really well at Napoli, then made a move to Galatasaray, who are a big club, but he needs to be playing at a higher level. Arsenal need a striker like Osimhen; the club needs to wake up; it’s obvious and simple; they need a striker.”
He added, “You need a strong squad to compete with each other; that’s how Manchester City and Liverpool stay at such a high level; if you have the same starting XI every week, then the performance level will drop. All the Manchester City players are international players, and even the ones on the bench—that’s the level Arsenal needs to reach.”
