Arsenal have paid dearly for their training camp in Dubai: as the Premier League runners-up confirmed on Thursday, Kai Havertz’s season is over.
The first reports to this effect had already emerged on Wednesday, and on Thursday afternoon Arsenal made it official: Kai Havertz’s season is over.
The Gunners confirmed that the German national striker suffered a serious knee tendon injury during a training session on a short trip to Dubai. According to specialist examinations, the tendon injury will require surgery. Conservative treatment was not possible.
Immediately after the operation, Havertz will begin his rehabilitation program, but this will “probably be enough to prepare for the next season,” as Arsenal confirmed.
For Arsenal’s hopes of winning the league, which since Wednesday evening is now “officially” seven points behind Liverpool, the injury is a massive setback.
In recent weeks, coach Mikel Arteta had repeatedly had to accept bad news in his offense. The long-term absence of Bukayo Saka (serious thigh injury), who is now expected to return to the squad in March at the earliest, was followed by that of Gabriel Jesus (out for the season after tearing his cruciate ligament). Gabriel Martinelli is currently missing due to a thigh injury, along with Havertz and Saka.
Havertz’s absence cannot be compensated for
No matter which players return to the squad in the coming weeks, the current form of the team means that Havertz’s absence is definitely not recoverable. It is no coincidence that the 25-year-old is currently the top Premier League scorer with nine goals, ahead of Gabriel Martinelli (6). In 34 competitive games this season, the former Leverkusen player has already scored 15 goals and provided five assists.
The fact that Havertz is out for the season is all the more disastrous because Arsenal had looked more intensively at strengthening their offense in the winter transfer window, but in the end remained inactive. The whole burden now falls on players like 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri or Leandro Trossard.
It is also bad news for national coach Julian Nagelsmann, of course. He had Havertz – especially in the form he is in this season – firmly in his plans for the Nations League quarter-final against Italy at the end of March.
At last summer’s European Championship on home soil, Havertz was part of Nagelsmann’s starting lineup in all five tournament games, directly involved in three goals (two goals, one assist).
