Kai Havertz will be integrated back into the picture at Arsenal slowly as they look to avoid another disastrous year for the German.
That’s according to SportBILD. They cover the forward today and Arsenal’s plans to get him back fit and firing for the title run in.
The newspaper explains that 2026 can only be better than 2025 for Havertz as the year was ‘plagued by injuries, pain and suffering’. In fact, it comfortably the year of his ‘greatest disappointments’.
He only manged seven Premier League games in 2025 and is now viewing 2026 as a fresh start. He’s determined to play for Germany in the World Cup this summer. And Arsenal have a plan in place to make that a reality.
That plan is as follows; after returning from a ‘measured’ training programme after Christmas, he will increase his workload in January. But nothing will be rushed, despite Havertz being eager to get back into things.
Arsenal don’t want to risk matters, which is why manager Mikel Arteta was cautious when asked about the German recently. After such a ‘long period of suffering’, they don’t want any setbacks, particularly in a World Cup year.
There’s been plenty of them already as he was supposed to return from a knee injury at the end of November. That was delayed until the beginning of December, but the knee kept hurting and he remained out. Now Arteta will only let him return when there’s no risk.
Getting back is seen as a ‘daunting task’ but there’s a plan in place, with everyone at Arsenal in agreement on how to carry it out.