Ray Parlour, an Arsenal legend, has expressed his disapproval of the club’s potential move to sign Chelsea’s Kai Havertz this summer, according to News About Nigeria.
Havertz has been a top target for Arsenal since the start of the summer transfer window, as evidenced by the club’s interest in the young German player.
However, Parlour, a former English professional footballer and sports radio pundit, disagrees with Arsenal’s pursuit of Havertz, stating that he believes it is not the right signing for the club at this particular time.
Instead, the former midfielder suggests that Arsenal should consider signing Ivan Toney from Brentford, despite the player currently facing court charges for allegedly betting on his team to lose during his time at Newcastle.
Parlour believes that Arsenal is in need of a prolific goal-scorer, a quality he believes Havertz does not possess.
“I don’t think that’s the right signing. For me, it’s a shame. I would have gone for Ivan Toney, but he’s obviously facing a ban, and whether they want to take a chance with that… but he would have been the obvious choice for me,” said Parlour.
He emphasized that Arsenal requires someone who can consistently find the back of the net, as goal-scoring has been a notable issue for the team.
While Kai Havertz made a significant impact for Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League final by scoring the only goal of the match, he has struggled to replicate that form in subsequent seasons. Since joining Chelsea from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020 for over £71m, Havertz has only managed to score 32 goals in 139 appearances across all competitions. Out of these, 19 goals were scored in the Premier League during his three-year tenure.
Currently, Arsenal is reportedly engaged in negotiations with Chelsea, who are demanding in excess of £70m for Havertz. On the other hand, the Gunners have made an opening bid of £55m, according to sources.
