{"id":301246,"date":"2023-12-03T08:56:19","date_gmt":"2023-12-03T08:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=301246"},"modified":"2023-12-03T08:56:19","modified_gmt":"2023-12-03T08:56:19","slug":"paul-merson-makes-bold-request-to-mikel-arteta-around-next-arsenal-starting-xi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/paul-merson-makes-bold-request-to-mikel-arteta-around-next-arsenal-starting-xi\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul Merson makes bold request to Mikel Arteta around next Arsenal starting XI"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/67\/590x\/secondary\/Arsenal-kai-Havertz-Mikel-Arteta-5096585.jpg?r=1701548874844\"><\/p>\n<p>Arsenal icon Paul Merson has urged Mikel Arteta to use Kai Havertz as a centre-forward. There has been strong debate over Havertz\u2019 best position, despite Arteta mostly using the German in midfield.<\/p>\n<p>Havertz is highly regarded by managers for his versatility. The 24-year-old can play as a central midfielder and anywhere across a front three. He also slotted in at left-back for Germany during the most recent international break.<\/p>\n<p>But with Arsenal struggling for a prolific striker, many believe that Havertz should start in the role ahead of Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah. Jesus is Arteta\u2019s first-choice centre-forward but his inconsistency and susceptibility to injuries have called that status into question.<\/p>\n<p>Havertz was signed by Arteta to play in midfield alongside captain Martin Odegaard, replacing box-to-box star Granit Xhaka who joined Bayer Leverkusen in the summer. However, Merson believes the former Chelsea ace showed his ability to play as a striker with clever movement to score the winner against Brentford last weekend.<\/p>\n<p> <strong> READ MORE: <\/strong> <strong>Gabriel Jesus&#8217; reaction to Zinchenko speaks volumes after incredible goal[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/67\/590x\/secondary\/Kai-Havertz-Arsenal-Mikel-Arteta-5096587.jpg?r=1701548874901\"><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is unbelievable play by Havertz, it is movement at its best,\u201d Sky Sports pundit Merson said over a replay of the strike, which secured a 1-0 triumph.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think he should play up front. That was centre-forward movement &#8211; he drifts behind defenders and it\u2019s a great header. Confidence, every player will tell you, if you can bottle one thing it\u2019s confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Havertz often started in the centre of a front three for Chelsea during his final two years at Stamford Bridge. However, he was sometimes criticised for not scoring enough, bagging just seven Premier League goals last term.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> <svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"> <g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_1078_5986)\"> <\/g> <defs> <clipPath> <rect width=\"23.4329\" height=\"23.4329\" fill=\"white\" transform=\"translate(0 0.134262)\"\/> <\/clipPath> <\/defs> <\/svg> Support fearless journalism<\/li>\n<li> <svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"> <g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_1078_5986)\"> <\/g> <defs> <clipPath> <rect width=\"23.4329\" height=\"23.4329\" fill=\"white\" transform=\"translate(0 0.134262)\"\/> <\/clipPath> <\/defs> <\/svg> Read The Daily Express online, advert free<\/li>\n<li> <svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"> <g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_1078_5986)\"> <\/g> <defs> <clipPath> <rect width=\"23.4329\" height=\"23.4329\" fill=\"white\" transform=\"translate(0 0.134262)\"\/> <\/clipPath> <\/defs> <\/svg> Get super-fast page loading<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/logo\/logo-premium-subscription.png\"><\/p>\n<p> <strong> DON&#8217;T MISS&#8230; <\/strong> <br \/> <strong>Arsenal survive late scare to go four points clear with Wolves win[UPDATES] <\/strong> <br \/> <strong>Arsenal and Chelsea suffer Osimhen setback as Napoli chief spills the beans[TRANSFERS] <\/strong> <br \/> <strong>Ruben Neves breaks silence on Newcastle transfer links as Arsenal dealt blow[QUOTES] <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/67\/590x\/secondary\/Arsenal-Mikel-Arteta-5096591.jpg?r=1701548875004\"><\/p>\n<p>Arsenal have been widely linked with signing a new striker in either January or next summer. It is widely believed that a new No 9 will help Arteta propel his side above the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool, and secure their first top-flight title in two decades.<\/p>\n<p>Brentford star Ivan Toney has been mooted as a possible winter signing, once the 27-year-old\u2019s football ban ends on January 16. A reported move for Napoli hotshot Victor Osimhen might be unlikely midway through the campaign, with Arsenal needing to sell before they seal another big-money signing.<\/p>\n<p>Asked about the potential of signing a striker in January, Arteta said in October: &#8220;We&#8217;re not thinking at all about that. We have really good players up front. It&#8217;s true that right now we have some injuries. We will continue with the players we have.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/affiliateswidgets\/175x108\/1701355713208.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/affiliateswidgets\/115x50\/1701355529520.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/affiliateswidgets\/115x50\/1701355529520.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Watch Premier League matches throughout December completely FREE thanks to Amazon Prime&#8217;s free trial.<\/p>\n<p>For 30 days, you can watch Premier League matches for free without needing to pay a penny.<\/p>\n<p>Afterwards, it costs \u00a38.99 a month but you get free shipping on Amazon products and more.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/sport\/football\/1841491\/Arsenal-Paul-Merson-Mikel-Arteta-Kai-Havertz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arsenal icon Paul Merson has urged Mikel Arteta to use Kai Havertz as a centre-forward. There has been strong debate <span class=\"more-text\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":301245,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Paul Merson makes bold request to Mikel Arteta around next Arsenal starting XI - Sportstons<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/paul-merson-makes-bold-request-to-mikel-arteta-around-next-arsenal-starting-xi\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Paul Merson makes bold request to Mikel Arteta around next Arsenal starting XI - Sportstons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Arsenal icon Paul Merson has urged Mikel Arteta to use Kai Havertz as a centre-forward. 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