So far this season, Kai Havertz has played just 30 minutes of first team football, and that came on the opening day when we beat Man Utd 1-0 at Old Trafford.
In fact, it’s coming up on almost a year since the German international started a competitive game, that being the Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle on February 5th 2025.
However, it looks as if he’s about to begin his comeback this weekend, with Mikel Arteta hopeful he can be included in the squad as we visit Portsmouth in the FA Cup 3rd round on Sunday.
Speaking ahead of the game, the Arsenal boss said, “If everything goes well, I think he’s going to be in the squad again in the next few days.
“He trains well, he’s increased his load, he’s coping with that really well and he will be ready when we can have him.”
The good news for Arteta is that Havertz reintegration can be done slowly to minimise risk. With both Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus available, there’s no need to place a heavy burden on him, but some minutes tomorrow would be a very useful first step to take.
The Gunners have injury issues at the back, with Piero Hincapie joining Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera on the treatment table, so there’s not as much scope for rotation there as in midfield and up front.
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