Arsenal urged to offload ‘poor’ flop in swap deal for £80m Liverpool target – ‘he’d fit in perfectly’

Premier League giants Arsenal have been encouraged to offload ex-Chelsea star Kai Havertz and replace him with Bayer Leverkusen standout Florian Wirtz.

The Gunners paid around £65m to sign Havertz from their Premier League rivals during the recent summer transfer window.

Havertz has struggled to adapt to life at the Emirates and he has been in and out of the team at the start of this campaign.

Arsenal may have been better off using the money spent on Havertz to sign a striker amid reports linking them with Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.

Wirtz is on the radar of several Premier League clubs ahead of January as the 20-year-old has six goals and ten assists in 17 appearances for Leverkusen across all competitions this season.

German publication Seddeutsche Zeitung recently claimed Liverpool have already made an £80m bid for Wirtz, who could be viewed as a long-term replacement for Saudi-linked Mo Salah.

Ex-Arsenal player Jermaine Pennant thinks his former club should use Havertz to boost their chances of signing Wirtz ahead of their Premier League rivals.

“That Kai Havertz signing hasn’t worked,” Pennant told King Casino Bonus. “I thought I’d give him some time to settle in, but that period is over now.

“I think he’s been a poor signing. I don’t understand what he brings to the team as he’s not scoring or assisting. It’s bizarre as Arteta seems to believe in him.

“I think Arsenal should have gone for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz. His footballing IQ is off the charts! He’s not a speed-merchant, but he’s clever on the ball and he seems to always pick the right pass.

“His assists are great, he has an eye for goal, and I think he’d be a fantastic addition to Arsenal. He’d fit in perfectly there. Wirtz would be a lot cheaper, and they should trade him in for Kai!”

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William Gallas meanwhile thinks Arsenal made a “mistake” when they signed Havertz. 

“I said at the beginning of the season that Kai Havertz would struggle for Arsenal,” Gallas told Genting Casino.

“I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but he is still struggling. I think it was always going to be difficult for Havertz to adapt to the way that Arsenal play and the way that Mikel Arteta wants to use him.

“I don’t think he was the type of player that Arsenal needed to sign in the summer. When you look at the squad, in my opinion, there were different types of players that they should have prioritised. It looks like it was a mistake to sign him.”