Kai Havertz and Thomas Tuchel worked together at Chelsea (Picture: Getty Images)
Thomas Tuchel is pleased to see his former charge Kai Havertz turning his first season at Arsenal into a successful one after a ‘rough start’ at the club.
The two Germans worked together at Chelsea, with Havertz scoring the goal that won the Blues the Champions League under Tuchel’s stewardship.
The manager was eventually dismissed while the versatile 24-year-old made something of a shock move to north from west London last summer for £65m.
It took a while for Havertz to get going in his new surroundings, not scoring his first goal until 30 September at Bournemouth and struggling to find his best role in the side.
The Germany international has now scored 10 goals in 42 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners, most recently starting and netting in the 3-0 win at Brighton on Saturday, which put Arsenal top of the table.
Tuchel takes his Bayern Munich side to Arsenal on Tuesday and will be hoping Havertz does not turn in another impressive performance, but is pleased to see his career going well.
‘He scored the best goal of my coaching career so far,’ said Tuchel of Havertz. ‘He’s a very lovely guy, a nice character and a great team player with great qualities.
Kai Havertz has played a big part in Arsenal’s season so far (Picture: Getty Images)
‘I’m pleased for him that he gets the value after a rough start. We are aware of him and have some guys on the pitch that know him very well.’
Tuchel is clearly a fan of what Mikel Arteta has done at Arsenal and picked out Martin Odegaard as a player he appreciates the talents of in the Spaniard’s team.
‘I think Arsenal defines itself as a team which is outstanding and enjoyable to watch,’ said the Bayern boss.
Martin Odegaard is leading Arsenal’s charge in the Premier League and Champions League (Picture: Getty Images)
‘They don’t rely heavily on individual solutions to win matches consistently. They are very impressive. But Odegaard is one of the key players. We love where he loves to start his actions, we know very well how he wants to start them and the connections between him and Bukayo Saka.
‘I hope that we find the right solutions and the players will find the key to make life difficult for him.
‘It’s impressive how he’s developed as a captain and he’s one of the players we’re trying to stop.’
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