Kai Havertz experiment fails as Arsenal striker narrative rumbles on after regretful Liverpool loss

Mikel Arteta turned to Kai Havertz for Arsenal’s FA Cup match against Liverpool with Gabriel Jesus missing. The German was given umpteen chances to score but showed a massive lack of conviction. We can move on from the failed experiment but not the fact that Arsenal are crying out for a goalscorer.

There has been so much talk of Arsenal signing a striker in the winter transfer window. Jesus is a wonderful talent and has shown in glimpses he could be the perfect No. 9 for Arteta, but yet another injury added fuel to the fire having only scored three goals in the Premier League this campaign.

Eddie Nketiah was expected to come in for Jesus – it is the reason he is at the club after all – but Arteta made the bold call to start Havertz through the middle, where he repeatedly looked lost in a Chelsea shirt.

Liverpool would obviously provide a big test for the big German but with Virgil van Dijk absent through illness, he was given a decent opportunity to prove himself as a striker option ahead of Nketiah, and potentially Jesus as well.

Unfortunately for him, Arteta, and Arsenal, the experiment that failed at Chelsea fell flat on its face on the first time of asking in the Gunners’ all-white kit that has now been used in each of their last three FA Cup third-round ties.

Havertz was given a lot of opportunities to score in the first half of the Gunners’ 2-0 home defeat to their Premier League title rivals.

The first fell to him after Bukayo Saka helped the hosts regain possession in their attacking penalty area, but Havertz took the creative route by attempting to cut the ball back to Reiss Nelson, who didn’t have the time or space to carve out a scoring opportunity from the attempted assist.

Arsenal fans have found themselves frustrated by Havertz’s lack of conviction, whether that is when shooting, passing or driving on the ball, and that was on show in front of Alisson’s goal, completely fluffing his lines with his second chance after taking one too many touches.

Taking too many touches again, forcing himself wider, making the chance a lot more difficult for himself and striking the ball tamely was how the former Chelsea man messed up again following a mess up of Liverpool’s own in their defensive third. He then squandered a six-yard header at the back post – his biggest chance of the lot.

Havertz was, at least, playing the role of pressing from the front pretty well and created a big chance for Bukayo Saka. However, this is exactly what Jesus is bringing and that is not enough for Arsenal’s title chasers.

What comes as another worry is how easily Arsenal created chances for their wasteful No. 9 without Havertz’s presence in midfield.

The biggest worry is clear to see, though. We have no idea who their man is, but Arsenal need to find themselves a reliable striker. Jesus is a great player but doesn’t score enough, misses too many big chances and gets injured too often, while Nketiah is unlikely to ever be the go-to guy for a title contender.

The addition of a striker worthy of benching Jesus seems extremely unlikely. Colossal, game-changing January transfers do not come by very often. Clubs do not want to sell their best players mid-season and want a massive fee to consider doing so, while financial fair play is hindering clubs’ ability to make it happen, Arsenal being a prime example.

Victor Osimhen is comfortably the best out there when it comes to strikers who could move clubs in 2024, but it will cost over £100million, which will likely have to be paid up front. It’s simply not happening in January. Ivan Toney is the name on everyone’s lips and he could be a roaring success, but for £80-100m, it is unlikely to be worth it.

It is clear where Arsenal’s shortcomings lie and it looks unlikely that Arteta will find the man to solve it between now and the end of the month.

The Liverpool defeat, which came after an alarming amount of squandered chances in the Gunners’ last two games, has intensified the striker debate and while it probably was the right time to test if Havertz can be that guy, nobody is surprised to find out he will not be.