Kai Havertz’s one weakness as Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer agree over Arsenal star

Kai Havertz has been in sensational form for Arsenal this season and the German netted his fifth goal of the campaign in the 2-0 Champions League win over PSG on Tuesday

Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer both called Kai Havertz’s performance against Paris Saint-Germain "fantastic" - but Lineker still pinpointed the Arsenal forward's finishing as a weakness.

Havertz has undergone a remarkable transformation under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, shaking off the initial doubts that surrounded his high-profile move from Chelsea a year ago. The German international cost the Gunners a hefty £65million and initially found life tough at the Emirates Stadium early in the 2023/24 season.

But the floodgates eventually opened and Havertz’s confidence has since soared, leading the front line and bringing his strong form into the new season. His latest high profile contribution came in the Champions League group stage clash with PSG on Tuesday night, where he scored the opening goal 20 minutes into the affair.

Havertz showed excellent timing and desire to meet Leandro Trossard's delivery in the box, beating the goalkeeper and the defenders to head home. The goal took his tally to five in nine appearances this term, while Bukayo Saka's free-kick ensured a comfortable 2-0 victory over the French giants.

His predatory instinct, which was deemed worthy of a Man of the Match award, earned high praise from Newcastle United legend Shearer. And the pundit's fellow England hero and long-time colleague Lineker was in firm agreement.

Shearer said on The Rest Is Football podcast: "What about Havertz's performance? Because I thought he was fantastic. He put in a proper centre forward's performance. For the goal he was really, really brave. It was a great cross but he didn't shy away from getting it.

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"Even taking the goal away, I just thought his hold up play - when they needed a foul he won his team a foul. I thought he was clever and I thought it was a brilliant performance from him.”

Lineker chimed in: "I totally agree, Alan. I like Havertz, I've liked a lot of his performances." But the Match of the Day host also pointed out a flaw in the forward's game. He added: "The only thing is he doesn't look to me like the kind of striker to score 25 or 30 goals a season. But he's got a lot about him.

"He holds the ball up really well. He's got a lovely touch and a deftness to his game. He's probably learning the role a bit as well because he's obviously quite late to it but I was really impressed.

"The only thing is he does miss quite a lot of chances and probably not the best finisher. But even that with the fact he's in those positions could improve, definitely."

Havertz, who first made his mark as an attacking-midfielder at Bayer Leverkusen, netted a total of 32 goals for Chelsea in 139 appearances before making the switch to north London. His most prolific season was during his third year with the German outfit in 2018/19, where he scored an impressive 20 goals in 42 games.

At Arsenal, he finished last season with a respectable 13 league goals, gaining momentum towards the end of the campaign after a slow start. His scoring streak against PSG saw him become only the fourth player in the Emirates era to score in six consecutive home games for the Gunners, joining the ranks of Robin van Persie in 2011/12, Emmanuel Adebayor in 2007/08 and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2019.

Havertz, who has quickly become a favourite of Arsenal's training ground staff with his attitude and off-pitch character, will be delighted that he is in the company of former Gunners greats. He has the opportunity to equal Van Persie's record of seven consecutive home goals when Southampton visit in Saturday's Premier League showdown.

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