Jamie Carragher has warned Arsenal's £64m summer signing Viktor Gyokeres that he will never displace Kai Havertz from Mikel Arteta's starting line-up, after the Sweden international struggled during his Premier League debut minutes in the Gunners' 2-1 victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal maintained their perfect start to the new season with a hard-fought win, though they conceded for the first time in three games when former transfer target Morgan Rogers volleyed home inside two minutes. Kai Havertz equalised against his former club before Martin Odegaard scored the winner just after half-time.
Havertz's role and Gyokeres' difficult debut
Havertz started his third consecutive game before being replaced by Gyokeres, who came on as a 78th-minute substitute for his first minutes of the campaign. The Sweden international struggled to make an impact as Chelsea pressed for an equaliser, twice giving the ball away, much to the frustration of the Arsenal faithful.
Carragher heaped praise on Havertz after the win and said Gyokeres would 'never' force the German out of Arteta's first-choice line-up. Speaking on Sky Sports, the former Liverpool defender said: 'To displace Kai Havertz out this team, you're talking about one of the best players in the world, that's what you have to get. It has to be an Ian Wright, guaranteed 30 goals a season, a Thierry Henry. Gyokeres is never taking Havertz's place, not ever.'
Carragher's analysis of Havertz's value
Carragher explained that Havertz's worth extends beyond goalscoring, highlighting his defensive contributions. 'It's not about how good they are just in attack, it's what they give you for the team. One of the reasons why you can't break Arsenal down as a team is how well they press from the front. But then when the opposition get through that, they all get behind the ball, and Havertz is about 25, 30 yards from his goal.'
He added: 'You go and ask a world-class striker to do that, a guy who's obsessed with his numbers and his goals to come back and do that, he won't do that. When you see Havertz, what he does in terms of both boxes, set-piece wise as well. Havertz is more of a facilitator, he's not a great goalscorer, can [Bukayo] Saka or the wide players get more goals the way [Mohamed] Salah and [Sadio] Mane used to with Bobby Firmino in that position. They're not both great goalscorers, but they bring an awful lot to the team.'
Arteta's backing and the defensive trade-off
Carragher acknowledged the debate about Arsenal's need for a top striker but stressed the risk of altering the team's balance. 'And this idea that you've got to bring someone in who's like, amazing, yes, I'm the one who's said consistently, they haven't got one of the best players in the world in the front four. But you better get someone at that level, at that unbelievable level, to take Havertz out of that team.'
He concluded: 'Mikel Arteta, the type of manager that he is, taking Havertz out of that team and what he does for that team defensively, we talk about how strong they are defensively, no-one can get a shot on target, it's not just the goalkeeper and the back four, that's the whole team. So he'd be giving up on, actually, some of his team's defensive solidity, to add a little bit more in the attack, that's the decision every manager has to take.'
Arsenal boss Arteta also praised Havertz after the Gunners reclaimed top spot alongside Manchester City, who also boast a perfect record after three games. 'He looks happy, he looks settled and some great things have happened in his personal life as well,' Arteta said. 'He feels fit, he's training every day and has this routine right now. He's scoring goals, but not only that – he's also doing amazing work for the team.'
