5 Players Who Had Slow Starts at Arsenal and Excelled Amid Havertz’s Struggles

• Kai Havertz joined Arsenal from Chelsea in June after three years at Stamford Bridge
• The German forward is struggling to adapt to his new midfield role with the Gunners
• Mikel Arteta continues to keep faith in his £67.5m man despite fans being impatient

The decision of Mikel Arteta to sanction a £67.5 million total package for the transfer of Kai Havertz from Chelsea was frowned upon by Arsenal fans - and they are being proven right with each game.

The German spent three seasons at Stamford Bridge and struggled to make consistent impacts, even though he scored the winning goals in two finals - the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Arteta is now deploying Havertz at the left side of the midfield three but he has struggled to fit into that role so far, leading to backlash from impatient fans.

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Sports Brief looks at five other players who initially struggled but settled in and made impacts, as first analysed by Planet Football:

1. Thierry Henry

King Titi, as he's famously referred to as by the Gunners fans, joined from Juventus in 1999 and scored just once in his first 12 games. He picked up speed afterwards and scored 228 goals in 377 games. Henry won four golden boots and was part of the Invincibles squad of the famous 2003/04 season.

2. Dennis Bergkamp

Another invincible member and also a signing from the Serie A, he joined Arsenal after flopping at Inter Milan. Bergkamp failed to score in his first seven games but ended his Gunners career with 120 goals in 423 games by the time he was leaving in 2006.

3. Robert Pires

The skillful French attacker, who also played as a winger, struggled to adapt to the physicality of English football in his first season, though he did show flashes of brilliance. He produced a league-high of 15 assists in his second season and was named in the PFA's Team of the Season four times.

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4. Robin van Persie

Not many Gunners fans like him due to the circumstances surrounding his departure for rivals, Manchester United. He struggled initially due to the league's physicality but in his final season, van Persie won the Golden Boot and PFA Player of the Year in his last season. He left the Emirates Stadium with 132 goals in 278 appearances.

5. Granit Xhaka

The man Havertz is tasked with replacing failed to win over the fans with his recklessness in his earlier years. He made it worse by insulting the fans in 2019. Arteta gave him a new lease of life and by the time he was leaving at the end of last season, Xhaka was a fan favourite. He is excelling at Bayer Leverkusen and The Athletic described him as 'the mature heart' of Xabi Alonso's midfield.

Piers Morgan slams Arteta and Havertz

Sports Brief also reported on Piers Morgan slamming Arteta and Havertz after the German struggled yet again in Arsenal's 2-2 draw against London neighbours, Fulham.

The outspoken media personality was highly critical of the coach 'tinkering with a working system', forcing Thomas Partey to right-back and Gabriel Magalhaes out of the team.