Kai Havertz believes Arsenal’s title triumph has brought fresh confidence and greater pressure as the champions prepare to defend their crown.
Kai Havertz says Arsenal’s Premier League triumph has changed the mood inside the club. Gone is the uncertainty of chasing a first title; in its place is the confidence and the pressure of trying to do it all over again.
Arsenal finally ended their 22-year wait for a league title last season. Havertz says the sense of relief inside the squad didn’t last long. Almost as soon as the celebrations faded, a new ambition took hold. The players came back for pre-season with proof they could finish top, but also with the realisation that expectations and standards have only gone up.
Speaking during Arsenal’s pre-season training camp, Havertz said: “I think confidence, but also it always brings pressure with you.”
That mix of confidence and pressure is already shaping the start of the Gunners' title defence.
After three straight seasons finishing as runners-up, there were real questions about whether Mikel Arteta’s side could finally take that last step. Last season gave the answer. But with the title comes a new set of expectations and the pressure to live up to them in the months ahead.
Havertz admits the whole club felt a sense of release after such a long wait.
“The club in general has waited a long time now to get it over the line and, you know, it is kind of a relief,” he said.
The Germany international played a key role in Arsenal’s title run and returned to pre-season after a short break following the World Cup. He found the net in a 4-1 friendly win over Girona and has been upbeat about the squad’s condition as preparations ramp up.
Winning the title has given Arsenal the proof they needed that their approach works over a full season. Havertz believes that experience should help the group attack the new campaign with real conviction, not just hope they can repeat the journey.
“When you have it once, you want it another time,” he added.
Havertz says that hunger has been obvious from the first days back in training.
He describes a squad that has already put the celebrations behind them and come back with a new target in mind. The title hasn’t dulled the intensity around the group. If anything, it’s given the players a sharper sense of what’s possible and what’s required.
“You can see it already here the first couple of days, how everyone is just already with that aim and that goal here again,” Havertz said.
For the first time in over twenty years, Arsenal start the season as defending champions. That brings a different kind of scrutiny. Every opponent will want to test them, and every setback will be measured against last year’s success.
Havertz is not shying away from that challenge.
“We want to do it again, create new memories with our fans and it was just so special,” he said.
“We all have that big, big goal in our head, but of course it also gives us confidence because we know we can do it now. So why not do it again?”
Arteta has made it clear: Arsenal can’t just protect what they’ve achieved they have to get better. New signings and more competition for places will help, but the mentality Havertz talks about could be just as important.
For years, the Gunners learned how close they could get. Now, they start a season knowing they can finish the job.
The relief has faded. In its place: the pressure of being champions, and the belief that another title is within reach.