Gooner Fanzine writer Alex Walsh analyses Arsenal's hard-fought 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace with the focus on Kai Havertz and insists the former Chelsea player will flourish in an Arsenal shirt this season.

The tall German international joined Chelsea in 2020 from Bayer Leverkusen. During his time at Leverkusen, he achieved an impressive 61 goal contributions in 118 Bundesliga games—a remarkable feat, especially considering he was just 21 when he transitioned to Stamford Bridge.

His role at Leverkusen primarily involved him as a free-roaming attacking midfielder, often arriving late in the box to cap off plays, almost akin to a second striker.

This approach allowed him to harness his greatest strength: his ability to link up with teammates and make intelligent off-the-ball movements.

Following his transfer to Chelsea, he was positioned in various roles, but he mainly operated as a central striker, effectively serving as a No9.

This shift meant that Havertz became more confined to a specific position compared to his time at Leverkusen, and he was frequently utilized as a target man.

Also, the fact that he played under five different managers in just three seasons at Chelsea didn’t help at all.

While it's still early days for Havertz at Arsenal a number of fans are already starting to question what he can add to the team.

Howver, it’s clear for me that it was Arteta that wanted to bring Havertz to Arsenal and that he has a lot of faith in him.

Taking a look at the first two games against Forest and Palace, it's evident that Havertz has assumed a role more similar to the one he occupied at Leverkusen, rather than his position at Chelsea.

He occupies a dynamic role in the attack, drifting between the opposition's lines, particularly on Arsenal's left side.

One aspect that he undoubtedly aims to refine—and which will likely develop naturally with time—is his relational play, particularly with Declan Rice and Gabi Martinelli.

On the right flank, a seamless synergy is evident among Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, and Ben White. Yet, on the opposite side, Havertz, Rice, and Martinelli are still in the process of synchronizing their runs and movements.

I think it’s just a matter of when and not if Havertz will click with his teammates, we’ll see the best of him. He gave a solid performance in Monday's game against Palace and actually came close to securing an assist early on.

He managed to draw a defender, received the ball, and set up Martinelli for a chance, which unfortunately wasn't converted.

He also won the most duels in the game for the second consecutive match.

While some fans might perceive his style as somewhat laid-back, the statistics undoubtedly indicate otherwise.