Mikel Arteta has admitted that Kai Havertz needs confidence at Arsenal after an underwhelming start to his career with the club.
Havertz signed for Arsenal in a £65m deal from Chelsea during the summer and has struggled to make an impact in north London to date.
The Germany international has failed to score or assist in six Premier League appearances and has started each of Arsenal’s last two league fixtures as a substitute.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s trip to Bournemouth, Arteta remains adamant that Havertz can become an important figure for his squad and said the onus is on Arsenal to provide the midfielder with the confidence to perform.
“[We are] trying to help him as much as possible. Be next to him, give him the tools and exploit his talents,” Arteta said at his pre-match press conference.
“There are so many parts of his game that he’s doing well. There’s one that we all know needs to improve.
“Give him the confidence to give him minutes. He needs to keep improving and with any player, the way he tries and applies himself. If he doesn’t t perform, it’s up to us. He needs to play within the team.
“[We will] try to give him as much support and confidence as we can because that is going to help him for sure.”
