Liverpool icon Robbie Fowler says Arsenal ‘need someone better than Kai Havertz’ (Picture: Getty)
Robbie Fowler has declared Arsenal need a better striker than Kai Havertz if they have ‘real aspirations’ of winning the Premier League.
The Gunners have come desperately close to clinching the last two top-flight trophies – but narrowly missed out to Manchester City both times.
Arsenal have not been champions of England since 2004 and face a battle with Liverpool to get their hands on this season’s title, with Mikel Arteta’s side currently second and six points behind Arne Slot’s league leaders.
Former Liverpool striker Fowler, who now works as a football pundit, says the Gunners must upgrade Havertz to finally end their top-flight drought.
Arsenal paid £65m to sign Havertz from Chelsea in 2023 with the German producing 29 goals across 85 games for the north Londoners to date.
‘If I’m being honest, he’s not my cup of tea,’ Fowler told The LineUp, brought to you by BetMGM and talkSPORT.
‘I think he’s OK but, if you’re a team that’s got real aspirations of winning Premier Leagues and Champions Leagues, then I think you need someone better than Kai Havertz playing in that focal striker role.
Arsenal star Kai Havertz is not Robbie Fowler’s ‘cup of tea’ (Picture: Getty)
‘He’ll do a job but I don’t think he’s been as consistent as he would have liked. I just think there are better players out there.’
Arsenal ended the January transfer window without making a single signing this year – a decision which Fowler thinks the Gunners may come to regret.
The north London club saw a bid rejected for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins – but Fowler has questioned if their offer was genuine or not – while they were priced out of a move for their No.1 target Alexander Isak.
Arsenal saw a January bid rejected for striker Ollie Watkins (Picture: Getty)
‘When Arsenal were linked with Ollie Watkins it looked to me like an almost token gesture,’ Fowler added.
‘Realistically, with Jhon Duran leaving, there was no chance Villa were going to let him go, so it looked a bit to me like it was done to appease the fans as opposed to a serious offer.’
Fowler may be correct in his verdict of Havertz – given what the Premier League Supercomputer predicted earlier this week…
Supercomputer makes Premier League title prediction
The Premier League trophy is destined to have red ribbons in 2025 (Picture: Getty)
The Premier League Supercomputer made a fresh title prediction after Arsenal thumped Manchester City 5-1 and Liverpool beat AFC Bournemouth 2-0 in the latest round of top-flight matches.
According to the newest algorithm, Liverpool, who currently have a game in hand over Arsenal, are predicted to win the Premier League title by a whopping 10-point margin.
The probability of Liverpool winning the league currently stands at 92.3 per cent, with Arsenal’s chances of glory much lower at 7.5 per cent.
‘BETSiE ran it’s algorithm to predict how the Premier League will pan out after this weekend’s results that saw Arsenal beat Man City 5-1 and Liverpool overcome Bournemouth 2-0,’ a Bettingexpert spokesperson said.
‘The Supercomputer simulated the league season 100,000 times.
‘The Supercomputer takes into account all match results from last season (across all competitions), pre-season results and the current season as it progresses, projecting the the season based on both pre-season expectations and xG earned both for and against during the season.
‘It now also integrates team financial data and player values from Transfermarkt. This additional layer of data provides a more nuanced understanding of team capabilities and potential performance variations.’