An investment of £64 million does not belong on the bench, but Arsenal, who are the reigning Premier League champions and together with Manchester City have a full pot this season, have a squad that is extremely strong.

He will “never” return as a priority player

Jamie Carragher believes only “one of the best players in the world” can displace another Arsenal star, while a Gunner has been told he will “never” get his place back.

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The Premier League champions are again in the top two. – None of them have dropped points after three games.

Kai Havertz is among the Gunners who have opened the season strongly, with two goals already – against Coventry and Chelsea respectively. The German has already matched the goal tally from last league season, when he missed a lot of football due to injury. That meant that £64m man Viktor Gyökeres was often without real competition for the striker spot.

But this summer’s signing has now faced tough competition, and as a result, has only played 12 minutes in this year’s Premier League before Sunday’s game where he came on with 12 minutes left of regulation time.

Carragher believes Gyökeres will struggle to regain his place after Havertz’s performances.

“To displace Havertz from this team, you’re talking about one of the best players in the world. That’s what you have to have,” he said on Sky Sports.

“It has to be an Ian Wright – a guaranteed 30-goal striker per season – or a Thierry Henry. Gyökeres will never take Havertz’s place. Never. I’m not sure Morgan Rogers would either.

Havertz offers something different

Carragher explained how Havertz contributes more than just the offensive – something some strikers don’t.

“It’s not just about how good they are in attack, but what they give the team. One of the reasons why it’s so difficult to break down Arsenal is how well they press from the front.

“But when the opponent gets through the pressure, everyone falls back behind the ball – and Havertz is then about 25-30 yards from his own goal. Ask a world-class striker to do it – a guy who is concerned with his own numbers and goals – and he won’t do it.

“When you see Havertz, you see what he does in both boxes, also on set pieces. Havertz is more of a facilitator – he’s not a great goalscorer. Can Saka or the wingers score more goals like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané did with Roberto Firmino in that role?

“They’re not both great goalscorers, but they contribute a lot to the team. And the idea that you have to bring in someone who is fantastic – yes, I’m the one who has consistently said that they don’t have one of the world’s best players in the attacking four.

“But you have to bring in someone at that level – that incredible level – to take Havertz out of that team.

“Mikel Arteta, with the type of manager he is – taking Havertz out of the team and what he does for the team defensively… We talk about how strong they are defensively, nobody gets shots on target – it’s not just the goalkeeper and the defensive four, it’s the whole team.

“So he would give up some of the team’s defensive stability to add a little bit more in attack – that’s the decision every manager has to make.

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