"He is": Arteta now confirms £65m Arsenal star is "ready" to start vs Leeds

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that Kai Havertz is ready to start against Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The Germany international made his first start for the Gunners in 357 days against Kairat Almaty in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

The £65 million signing made an instant impression, providing the assist for Viktor Gyokeres’ second-minute goal. He scored his own in the 15th minute.

Havertz continued to impress with his distribution from an attacking midfield role, but he was eventually replaced by captain Martin Odegaard at half-time.

The substitution was pre-planned to manage Havertz’s workload. Arteta has now acknowledged that the 26-year-old is ready to start against the Whites.

However, the Spanish tactician added that the club may need to be selective over the games in which Havertz could feature from the off after his knee injury.

He told Arsenal.com: “He is ready. Obviously he started the other day, it’s been a long period and now we need to manage that load and the games that we’re going to select for him to start.

“But there was no reaction to that, I think it was super positive, you could see straightaway the impact that he can have in the team. So yes, he’s ready.”

Havertz had a difficult 2025. The German missed most of the second half of last season due to a hamstring injury, and sustained a knee setback in August.

He had a minor recurrence during the first half of the campaign, which further delayed his comeback.

Havertz made his long-awaited return to the starting XI in midweek, registering a goal and an assist.

Despite his man-of-the-match display, we won’t be surprised if the Bayer Leverkusen graduate starts on the bench against Daniel Farke’s side tomorrow.

Leeds have transformed into a strong physical outfit, who don’t shy away from crunch challenges. Havertz may not be placed on the firing line from the off.

Odegaard has not been at his best this campaign, but the Norwegian is most likely to continue as the attacking midfielder against the Yorkshire outfit.

If Odegaard can’t make a meaningful impact, Havertz could be called up to replace him. A half-time substitution can’t be ruled out if Arsenal are not in a winning position.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

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