Kai Havertz was forced off after 34 minutes against Newcastle United on Saturday, and Arsenal immediately found themselves staring at a familiar question: who carries the attack now? Viktor Gyokeres came on in Havertz’s place, but the injury to the German has left Mikel Arteta’s side waiting to learn how long it will be without the forward who has helped knit their front line together.
Arsenal are optimistic Havertz’s problem is not serious and hope he can return before the end of the season, but the timing is awkward. They are due to face Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night, and they have spent recent matches using Havertz up front to buy longer spells of possession and sustain attacks. Arteta said in January that Havertz “moves, communicates and makes a team better,” which is why his absence matters beyond goals alone.
The burden of the central role now falls more heavily on Gyokeres, Arsenal’s top scorer with 18 goals, yet his season has also shown the limits of the current plan. His turnover rate of 42 per cent is the highest of any centre-forward with 900 minutes or more, and he has not consistently reproduced the all-round performance he showed in February away to Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal want their striker to keep the ball alive as much as finish chances, and that part of the job has not always come easily to him.
The contrast with other options inside the squad is sharp. Gabriel Jesus has had a mixed season since returning in December from an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his left knee. He has played 85 minutes since the Carabao Cup final, but there have been flashes that suggest he can still alter a game: in December at Club Brugge, he had more touches than Gyokeres despite playing for half the time, took four shots and hit the crossbar with one of them. In January, he started away to Inter and scored twice.
Leandro Trossard is another route Arteta can take, though he is yet to start a game as a centre-forward this season. The Belgian has already shown what he can do there, registering 10 Premier League assists in 20 matches as a false nine in 2022-23, and his two-man strike partnership with Havertz helped spark Arsenal’s run that took the title race to the final day the following season. For now, the club’s immediate concern is less about long-term planning than getting through the next stretch without losing the balance Havertz brought to the side.
That is why Saturday’s injury matters so much: it does not just remove a player, it strips Arsenal of the striker Arteta has trusted most to connect their attack at a moment when the alternatives are still searching for consistency.