**Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says that Kai Havertz’s game intelligence means he is capable of playing in several different roles.**
There has been a constant debate about the German’s preferred position ever since he moved to English football. He struggled to nail down one spot at Chelsea, and it was a similar situation for a while following his move to the Gunners. However, Havertz seems very comfortable playing as a No. 9 these days, and when asked whether that is the role he sees him playing from now on, Arteta replied:
“The best position is in relation to what the game demands, and what the team demands on the day, to be as efficient as possible, as unpredictable as possible.”
“Kai is extremely intelligent; that’s his biggest quality. He understands the game; he’s five, ten seconds ahead of the game; he knows what is happening, he doesn’t need to think about it, he just acts, and it just makes the people around him better, which is another massive quality.”
“On top of that, he’s scoring goals, he’s producing chances, his work rate, as we all know, is just outstanding, and he’s in a great emotional state at the moment.”
Havertz is in outstanding form
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The 27-year-old has scored 3 goals in the first 5 matches at the start of the 2025/26 campaign, and he has essentially benched Viktor Gyokeres.
You do feel that if Havertz had stayed fit last season, he would have been preferred to the Swede then as well. The team simply functions better when he starts, and the reasons for that are explained in Arteta’s remarks.
Arsenal need to make a decision on his future
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It should be pointed out that Havertz is now within the final two years of his contract, but at this moment in time, there are no reports suggesting he has been offered an extension.
The likes of captain Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber are [**expected to be handed new deals,**](https://goonernews.com/blog/arsenal-news-declan-rice-martin-odegaard-jurrien-timber/) but if he continues in his current vein of form, fans will also be clamouring for Havertz to get one too.