About this episode
It's time for The Truth! Sam Tighe and Dougie Critchley discuss a topic that continues to divide fans across world football - whether Arsenal's leading man Kai Havertz is now an elite striker worthy of being included in the pantheon of the planet's best. Havertz exploded onto the scene for Bayer Leverkusen in 2016, and by 2018 he was making waves at his boyhood club, becoming the youngest player to make 50 Bundesliga appearances and establishing himself as a force in Peter Bosz's attack. By the time he moved to Chelsea in 2020, Havertz was one of the most in-demand young players in the world, but at Stamford Bridge things never felt quite right. Despite scoring the winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final, Havertz's positional versatility meant he felt like a square peg in a round hole in many ways. So when Arsenal splashed out £65m for Havertz in the summer of 2023, eyebrows were raised, and after a difficult start to life in North London, many wrote Havertz off as a player who couldn't cut it at the top level. A year later, and with the German firmly established as Arsenal's first choice No. 9, the difference is astounding. Breaking records and brimming with confidence, it feels like a good time to ask whether Havertz is a stopgap to an out-and-out striker, or now in the right place to finally rise to the very top of the beautiful game. The Truth is somewhere in the middle... Hosts: Sam Tighe & Dougie Critchley Production & Editing: Jack Collins Studio Recording: Footwork Media And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.