Kai Havertz has found his best form again at Arsenal (Picture: Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta says Kai Havertz simply needed to feel the love and that is the secret to his fine form at Arsenal.
The German joined the Gunners last year after an underwhelming spell at Chelsea, which saw some fans questioning the £65m investment in the forward.
Havertz made a fairly slow start but has become an integral part of Arteta’s side and developed into a potent forward when it was thought he was signed as a midfielder.
The 25-year-old has already scored five goals in nine games in all competitions this season, after netting 14 last campaign, and his manager says that he just needed a bit of special treatment.
On the reason for his fine form, Arteta said of Havertz: ‘Love. He’s a player that needs a lot of love.
‘He needs to feel protected, he needs to feel chemistry around him. In football and in life he gives so much to everybody, so he needs that connection with the people.
‘He got that from ourselves, and the moment he started to grow with our supporters I think that gave him a different dimension, different confidence.’
Mikel Arteta has been a huge supporter of Havertz since bringing him to north London (Picture: Getty Images)
Arteta also hailed the quality of the Germany international and his team in general, for the increasingly encouraging performances of the former Chelsea man.
‘Because he’s so good, because he wants it so much and because he’s surrounded by great players around him,’ Arteta said of Havertz’s goal-scoring heroics. ‘The fact that he’s gone through some difficult moments just made him a better player, and a great person I think.
‘He certainly has all the qualities and he certainly has the ambition to [score 20 goals a season]. In the end, scoring goals sometimes are very small details and a lot of things have to go for you, but he’s got it and his mindset has changed a lot in regards to that. He certainly has ability to do it in my opinion.’
Havertz will hope to add to his goal tally when Arsenal host Southampton at 3pm on Saturday in the Premier League.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Arsenal news, exclusives and analysis
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.