- Piers Morgan has hit out at Mikel Arteta for picking Kai Havertz into Arsenal’s line-up
- The German was favored in the Gunners’ attack following Gabriel Jesus’ injury
- Arsenal could have saved Kai Havertz’s money to buy a striker in January! It all kicks off the Transfer Week podcast
Piers Morgan has mocked Mikel Arteta’s decision to start Kai Havertz up front for Arsenal’s big clash with Liverpool at The Emirates.
The Gunners boss was forced into the change after revealing Gabriel Jesus was not fit enough to feature in the squad for Sunday’s match.
The Brazilian suffered a blow in training due to his previous knee problem and prompted Arteta to rethink who to pick for Arsenal’s title rivals.
Instead of making an equal swap and choosing Eddie Nketiah in place of Arsenal’s number nine, the Spanish boss opted for Havertz at the center of the team’s attack.
The decision surprised many Gunners fans, and in particular TV presenter Morgan, who made his feelings clear with a post on X.
Piers Morgan has ridiculed Mikel Arteta’s team line-up in a message addressed to Kai Havertz
Morgan took to social media to question the decision to bring Kai Havertz into the team
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In a quote announcing the Gunners’ line-up, Morgan sent a scathing message to his account addressed to the German, saying: ‘Havertz doing what? He can’t lead a Morris dance.’
Havertz has struggled to make an impact at The Emirates following his £65million move to the capital in the summer.
The German has scored just five times in 31 appearances for the club and has been used in a number of positions as Arteta looks for the best to accommodate the former Chelsea player.
Gabriel Jesus suffered a blow during training that forced him to rule out the match against Liverpool
Mikel Arteta had to change his attack after an injury to Gabriel Jesus
This isn’t the first time Morgan has singled out Havertz. Earlier this season, the 58-year-old criticized the player after a win over Nottingham Forest.
Posting a review of the match on social media and pointing out Havertz’s performance, saying: ‘I’ll go with the win but that was a poor second half from Arsenal and I don’t understand why Forest had more desire/intensity than we, as the game went on. I also don’t understand what Havertz is giving us.’
Havertz went some way to making Morgan eat his words by lending a hand to Arsenal’s opening goal. His shot was blocked by Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson before Bukayo Saka curled in the rebound.