‘In my wildest dreams’: Pundit says what Arteta’s done with 24-year-old Arsenal player makes no sense at all

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Paul Merson has admitted that the way that Mikel Arteta is using Kai Havertz in his Arsenal side has left him shocked, insisting that he is at his best as a centre forward.

Merson was speaking to Sky Sports as the Germany international continues to come in for criticism following his slow start to life at the Emirates.

Kai Havertz needed to hit the ground running following his move to Arsenal. He had had a tough time at Chelsea. And he made the switch to the Emirates for big money. Certainly, it appeared to be a massive gamble from the Gunners.

It is obviously much too soon to write Havertz off entirely. But there is no question that he has made a really underwhelming start. Havertz came in for more criticism at the weekend after a poor display against Fulham.

Merson baffled by how Arteta is using Havertz

But Merson clearly feels that Arteta is doing him absolutely no favours. The pundit insisted that using Havertz on the left of the midfield makes absolutely no sense to him.

“I’m shocked where Kai Havertz is playing,” he told Sky Sports. “I didn’t see that in my wildest dreams. I’m a big Havertz fan. He’s a centre-forward, he can score goals, he scored plenty in Germany. He can’t play on the left.”

The problem for Arsenal is that Havertz hardly captured the imagination as a striker last season. He did well in the role in the Community Shield. But he also missed two excellent chances.

So it would be a risk to pick him ahead of someone like Eddie Nketiah – who is scoring goals for the Gunners.

Arteta and Edu have got little wrong in the transfer market over the last couple of years. So there is still every chance that Havertz will come good once things click for him.

But Arsenal have so much quality in that area of the field. So he cannot continue to make little impact. Otherwise, Arteta is surely going to have little choice but to make a change.