Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta looks on after Wolves’ draw (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Arsenal have been stuttering recently as they no longer look like favorites to win the Premier League title, but can Kai Havertz save his season?
The Germany international’s absence due to injury has been one of the biggest frustrations for Mikel Arteta this season, as he can have a big impact if he is fit and confident.
DOWNLOAD THE CAUGHTOFFSIDE APP WITH ALL THE LATEST UPDATES AND UPDATES – DIRECT TO YOUR DEVICE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAY
Not everyone was won over by Havertz when he first joined Arsenal after a slow spell at Chelsea, but at the end of a memorable 2023/24 campaign he showed his worth to the side.
Havertz has been restricted to just three Premier League appearances so far in 2025/26, but if he can win the title again, perhaps there is reason to hope for a scare from the Gooners.
Kai Havertz’s incredible run almost gave Arsenal the title
For all the talk of Arsenal being ‘bottlenecks’ in the title race, that is far from what happened when they fought until the final day of the 2023/24 season.
In the end, it was the mid-season game that cost them against an almost perfect Manchester City team, who did not stop winning and ended up winning the title by just two points.
Arsenal chased them all the way with their consistency and run of form, winning 16, drawing one and losing just one of their last 18 games.
Key to that run was Havertz, who has nine goals and six assists in the last 14 games, so he’s averaging more than one goal per game…
?? Kai Havertz scored nine points and registered six assists in the last 14 games in the run-in to the 2024 tournament. ??
Time to take it back. ?? pic.twitter.com/1GAzSYLhoX
— DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) February 21, 2026
Of course, Arsenal will also benefit from some players returning to the kind of form they showed at the time, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard not playing very well this season, and they had a very good week, last week at the start of 2024.
However, it is very clear that in the few games that Havertz has played this term, he has made the players around him look better, and he is more complete than the struggling player of the summer Viktor Gyokeres.
When will Kai Havertz return from injury?
The Athletic recently reported that Havertz will be sidelined, but it doesn’t look like he will be around much longer.
As reported by the Evening Standard earlier today, Arteta has even suggested that the 26-year-old could feature in Sunday’s North London Derby against Tottenham.
AFC would do well not to rush Havertz back into the starting XI straight away, but at the same time there will be a real desire to bring him in and see if he can give Arteta the final key to bringing the Premier League trophy back to the club for the first time in 22 years.
