Arsenal new boy Kai Havertz has broken his silence on his tough start to life at the Emirates – just days after Mikel Arteta urged fans to stick with the German international

Kai Havertz has insisted that he has no concerns about his slow start to life at Arsenal following criticism from fans and pundits.

Havertz, 24, made the switch to the Emirates from Chelsea in a £65million deal earlier this summer but has struggled to make a positive impression in the early weeks of the new campaign.

The German international, who is being deployed as a No.8 by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, divided opinions at Stamford Bridge after filling a variety of attacking roles and has failed to score in his first five appearances for the Gunners.

Havertz drew further criticism at the weekend after he messed up a golden opportunity in the 3-1 win over Manchester United.

However, the former Bayer Leverkusen ace has stressed that he has no worries over his current situation and is aiming to stay cool as he continues to acclimatise to life at his new club.

Speaking in a press conference on international duty, Havertz said: “I’ve often had a phase and that you often only see the negative. It’s not the first club where I’m starting over. Of course, you want to be successful as quickly as possible, but I know that there are phases like that. I try to approach it in a relaxed manner.”

Although Havertz failed to reach double figures in terms of goals across two of the three seasons he spent at Chelsea, he did secure his place in club folklore by bagging the winning strike in the Champions League final back in 2021.

After asking Havertz to play in a deeper role, Arteta has already spoken out in defence of the versatile forward. The Spaniard urged Arsenal fans to “show him some love” ahead of last week’s win over United.

And Arteta even likened Havertz’ tough start to life at the Emirates to his courtship with his wife. Speaking after Sunday’s dramatic finale, Arteta said: “I said to him yesterday, things are hard in the beginning.

“When I met my wife, in the beginning it was hard to conquer her and I had to try and keep messaging. In the end, she said yes, she wanted to be together and it was beautiful. If it is a yes on the first day, it is not that great. I think the crowd was really good with him today.”