Kai Havertz Seriously Injured, Arsenal Received Another Defeat

Kai Havertz was seriously injured, a possible absence from Arsenal until the end of the season (Instragram/@arsenal).

JAKARTA - Arsenal confirmed that Kai Havertz suffered a severe hamstring injury obtained during a winter training break in Dubai.

Arsenal have returned from the break on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, after flying to Dubai on Thursday, February 6, 2025, to take advantage of the rare weekend without a match after they were knocked out of the FA Cup Third Round on penalties from Manchester United.

Havertz's injury will be a major blow to Arsenal, who will lose another striker after Gabriel Jesus - who is absent for the remainder of the season after knee surgery - joins Bukayo Saka into the treatment room first.

After trying and failing to bring in attackers in the January 2025 transfer market, Arteta had mentioned Havertz as a force that could lead the front line.

"I don't know. There's a possibility (he can start every game). Maybe we'll go through that scenario and he'll score 15 or 18 more goals? Can you imagine? That's a good scenario."

"Naturically, he is a very great player. He is very sturdy. He is a player you can ask him for anything."

"He will do it with pleasure, run in zone six, become very strong, and run as far as possible."

"It absorbs everything. Then he really takes care of himself. When you see that professional player, how he lives his life, it's so perfect."

"He did more than any other player there. It wasn't a coincidence. Then I thought he was very smart."

"He knows what's good for him and what's not. We know how to organize him. We believe that when he says something, it's for the right reasons, not because he wants to avoid something. If something works, don't touch him," Arteta said earlier this month.

The problem is, Arteta's hope of handing over the attacker's burden to Havertz is now a mess. The hamstring injury suffered by the German is predicted to keep him out until the end of the season.

The 25-year-old will undergo further tests in the next 24 hours to determine how severe his injury is.

Havertz is currently being investigated more after arriving in London. Mikel Arteta will provide the latest information about his attacker at a press conference on Friday, February 14, 2025, ahead of the Premier League weekend trip to Leicester City headquarters.

However, the initial examination made the Gunners believe Havertz had experienced significant setbacks and concerns were growing that the forward could be out for a long time.

It will also update its oversight of their decision not to recruit attackers in the January 2025 transfer market.

Arteta admits that the club lacks attacking options and voiced disappointment for not succeeding.

The Gunners chose not to pursue an agreement withten Watkins of Aston Villa after a 40 million offer was rejected.

Long-term targets including Benjamin Sesko from Red Bull Leipzig and Alexander Isak from Newcastle United are not available.

Meanwhile, Havertz has scored 15 goals in 34 games in all competitions this season, but has been inconsistent ahead of goal in recent weeks.

However, Arsenal may be a bit relieved considering Saka has returned to training lightly at the Dubai camp after recovering from a hamstring injury.