‘Question marks’ - Chelsea legend says Arsenal star must do one thing to silence critics

The former Chelsea star Florent Malouda has praised German striker Kai Havertz but believes there is one more thing he must achieve in order to silence the criticism he often faces. Havertz, 24, joined the Emirates club in 2023 after three years at Chelsea. In his final season at Stamford Bridge, the forward scored seven Premier League goals in 35 fixtures. Since joining Mikel Arteta’s squad, the German international has scored nine goals in 30 fixtures, has one Champions League goal and in his last seven Premier League clashes, the ex-Bayer Leverkusen star has nine goal involvements (5 goals, 4 assists).

Malouda, who spent four years a Stamford Bridge from 2007-2013, has recently admitted that Havertz’s flourishing form under Arteta comes as no surprise, and confirms that the German forward will also be thought of as a ‘legend’ at Stamford Bridge following his Champions League-winning goal. However, the former French international has challenged Havertz to increase his silverware collection and suggests that winning trophies with the Emirates club will be he only way to stop people questioning his ‘£60m’ price tag and abilities on the pitch.

Speaking to Gambling Zone, he ex-Chelsea star said: “I’m pleased to see Kai Havertz’ evolution as a player at Arsenal. He is playing well and enjoying his football. After what he did at Chelsea, scoring the winning goal in a Champions League final, he will always be thought of as a legend. That goal proved his value, so you can say that Kai Havertz was a good signing for Chelsea because he won them the Champions League. These days, it’s easy to put inflated values on players before they have even delivered.”

The former left winger also added: “Mikel Arteta has shown that he believes in Havertz’ abilities, and when a player has that faith, their performances often improve. I’m not surprised to see Havertz has improved this season. The manager has put a lot of faith in him. He is still a young player, and he is still improving.

“There is definitely a connection between him and Arteta and that has brought another level to Havertz’ game. You can see that through the amount of trust that Arteta has given him, and he has been repaid by Havertz’ performances. The more he develops his relationship with Arteta and Arsenal’s other players, the more he will justify the price tag.

The ex-Lyon midfielder concluded that securing silverware will be one sure way of silencing the critics: “I think he needs to win some trophies with Arsenal for the question marks over his ability to stop. He won trophies with Chelsea and now he has to win trophies with Arsenal.”