FOOTBALL
By Animesh Pandey
Posted on June 9, 2026 11:00 pm | Updated on June 9, 2026 4:20 pm Thierry Henry praises Arsenal player Kai Havertz for his brilliance in the 2025-26 season
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Thierry Henry cheered for Kai Havertz. The former Arsenal player expressed his admiration for Havertz’s skills on field. The German forward played a crucial in the Gunners’ Premier League victory this year.
Henry recently talked about Havertz’s brilliant performance this season. The German played a crucial role in Arsenal’s dream run for the 2025-26 season. As reported by Goal, Henry stated that Havertz has a superb understanding of the game. He further added that he constantly applies pressure on the opposition and that “his footballing IQ is off the charts.”
The 26-year-old joined the Gunners in 2023. He previously represented Chelsea between 2020 and 2023. Before that, Havertz played for Bayer Leverkusen between 2016 and 2020. Havertz played for the club’s youth academy between 2010 and 2016.
Havertz’s stats for the 2025-26 season, as per FotMob:
Competitions Matches Goals Assists
Premier League 12 2 3
FA Cup 3 0 1
EFL Cup 3 1 0
UEFA Champions League 6 4 1
Kai Havertz’s contribution to Arsenal this season
Henry isn’t wrong in his analysis either. Havertz played a crucial role in delivering the first Premier League title for Arsenal since 2004. Interestingly, the German sustained a knee injury in August 2025. Afterwards, he was forced to sit out for a while. However, Havertz bounced back into action by January 2026.
Havertz was a part of the team that made it to the finals of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League. The Gunners finished as runners-up overall. Paris Saint-Germain beat them 4-3 on penalties in the finals. The North London club also made it to the EFL Cup finals. Manchester City defeated them 2-0 to win the championship. Arsenal also progressed to the FA Cup quarterfinals of the 2025-26 season. They were eventually defeated by Southampton with a score of 2-1.
Havertz’s contract will expire by 2028. Moreover, he dismissed concerns about his potential exit from Arsenal despite a turbulent season. In March 2026, Havertz confirmed that he’ll stay with the North London club.
Similarities between Thierry Henry and Havertz
Thierry Henry and Kai Havertz have many similarities. Both weren’t traditional forwards to begin with. Henry started as an out-and-out winger. Likewise, Havertz started as an attacking midfielder.
Both have been big game players. Henry was a part of the ‘Invincibles’ team from Arsenal in 2004. In the 2003-04 season, the Gunners became the first and only footballteam in the Premier League to complete an entire 38-game season without a single defeat! The North London club won 26 games and drew 12 other games in the season. Henry has an impressive profile of two League titles, four Premier League Golden Boot awards, and five Player of the Year Awards.
Havertz doesn’t have a similar profile in terms of individual honors. However, he has been a clutch player. In fact, his performance for Chelsea in the 2020-21 season was a reason why Arsenal were desperate to acquire him. The German forward scored the winning goal in the 2021 UEFA Champions League finals. Chelsea won the finals against Manchester City by 1-0. He also scored the winning goal in the 2021 Club World Cup finals. This was Chelsea’s first Club World Cup title overall.
Havertz ended the 2025-26 season on a golden note. The German forward would like nothing better than to prove Thierry Henry right with his skills the next season. However, he has another task to fulfill. Havertz will be accompanying the German team for the upcoming FIFA World Cup. He will aim to make a strong impact, and hopefully, end the 12-year-old title drought for his team.
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Animesh Pandey
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