Kai Havertz has heaped praise on underrated Jorginho and says he has ‘never had a coach’ as detailed and thorough as Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
Havertz joined his former Chelsea team-mate Jorginho at Arsenal last summer after speaking to the Italian about the potential move.
Jorginho had swapped west London for north at the start of 2023 and helped convince Havertz that his future should lie at Arsenal.
The £65m deal came as a surprise to some fans and pundits as Havertz had largely flattered to deceive at Stamford Bridge despite scoring the winner in the 2021 Champions League final.
After a slow start to his Arsenal career, Havertz has become a key member of Arteta’s squad in the second-half of the season, scoring four goals in his last seven league games to help the Gunners challenge for the title.
Havertz enjoys his on-field relationship with midfielder Jorginho and says the former Ballon d’Or nominee is one of the ‘greatest in his position’.
‘We spoke before and played together at Chelsea so I know him quite well and just asked him what it was like here,’ Havertz told Arsenal’s official website.
‘He said his honest opinion about everything and was already after six months at the club complimentary of everyone, the coaches and the players, and that made my decision easier. I spoke to the coach and for me it was after that chat that I wanted to come here.
‘Jorgi is a player who I feel like he looks at me or I look at him and we both know what is going to happen next.
‘He’s one of the best players I’ve played with because he knows my movements, I know his passing and which ideas he has in his mind.
‘In general, the whole football industry is only interested in goals and assists but he’s a player who’s more on the other part of the pitch and not so much in the box.
‘People speak more about players who score, assist and have goal contributions, but I think he’s one of those players who is the mind behind all of us.
‘He sets the tone on the pitch and gives the rhythm. I think he was third in the Ballon d’Or so that shows everyone that he’s one of the greatest in his position.’
Havertz played under Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter while at Chelsea but says he has ‘never experienced’ a manager like Arteta.
Arteta has turned a stagnating Arsenal into title challengers since his appointment in December 2019. The Gunners ran Man City close for the title last season and could yet win the Premier League this term.
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‘He helped me from the first day I arrived and showed me a different spectrum of how to play football that I had never experienced before and how to make myself better on the pitch as a player,’ Havertz added.
‘I’m so happy he helped me with a lot of things and is someone who wants to improve the players and that’s what makes him special.
‘I’ve never had a coach before who was so detailed and showed so many different things that maybe I didn’t even know about.’
Arsenal are currently only one point behind the top team, Liverpool, in the Premier League and are preparing for a possibly difficult match against Brighton this weekend.
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