"He’s a passenger at the moment" - Pundit claims Arsenal are a better side without 24-year-old star in the team, urges Arteta to drop him

Former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley has urged Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to drop Kai Havertz from the starting XI. The now-retired Scotland international slammed the German for his performance against Fulham while claiming that the Gunners were better off without him.

Burley said on ESPN (as quoted by Football365):

“There is nothing in this Kai Havertz performance or performances that suggest that this player is any different, not one iota from the player who was performing for Chelsea. The only difference is he’s wearing a red shirt."

He added:

“He’s still got no confidence, he’s still not influencing games, he’s still giving the ball away, he’s still not getting in the right positions at the right time. He made one or two good runs in the first half.

“But at the moment, there’s a £70m burning problem in Arteta’s pocket, because, in my opinion, he’s going to have to drop him. Arsenal are a better side without him in the team."

The former Chelsea midfielder further stated:

“And [Leandro] Trossard. But Havertz is the elephant in the room because he was big money and he arrived from Chelsea. If Mikel Arteta wants to put Arsenal’s best XI on the field next time they play, it involves Kai Havertz being on the bench. He’s not gained his confidence back, we’ve not seen anything different from him. In fact he’s a passenger at the moment in this Arsenal side.”

The Gunners signed Havertz from Chelsea this summer for a reported fee of £65 million. The Germany international hasn't got off to a great start at the Emirates. He is yet to register a goal contribution for Arsenal this season.

Mikel Arteta defends Arsenal star amid criticism from fans

Arsenal drew 2-2 against Fulham on Saturday (26 August) at the Emirates. The Gunners were unable to secure three points despite Fulham going down to ten men in the second half, with a late red card in the 83rd minute.

Havertz failed to make a meaningful impact on the encounter and received widespread criticism for his lackluster performance. However, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta rushed to his player's defense, insisting Havertz has done good things at the club.

When asked whether he was worried about Gunners fans turning against the German, the Spanish manager said after the match (via 90min):

"No, I saw an action when he played backwards and he could have turned. That’s more I think the demands of everybody to play forward and to impact the game in the final third because we had the urgency to win."

He added on whether the former Bayer Leverkusen star can win the fans over:

"Yes I think so. I think he’s done already really good things. Today it was tough in certain moments. He got in great areas and the ball didn’t arrive. In a lot of situations he should have scored a lot of goals already this season. That’s the thing that is missing there," Arteta said.