£280k-p/w Arsenal Star was a Game-Changer Against Monaco

Arsenal’s Champions League run continued at a rampant rate with the Gunners thumping Monaco in a 3-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium thanks to Bukayo Saka’s brace and a late strike from Kai Havertz, whose presence from the bench was evident.

After assisting in his side’s 1-1 draw with Fulham on the weekend, the 25-year-old was replaced by Gabriel Jesus at the top of the tree until he entered the fray for the Brazilian in the 73rd minute. Mikel Arteta now has a very important decision to make.

Thrown into action with just shy of half an hour of regulation time to play, the ex-Bayer Leverkusen star managed to make a terrific impact and even plundered his tenth of the season – and 23rd for the club – in the 88th minute.

Plenty was made of Havertz’s arrival from fellow London club Chelsea in the summer of 2023, given the combination of his lofty price tag and his lack of potency throughout his time with the Blues. But his goalscoring aside, his off-the-ball presence is finally being felt.

With the score poised at 1-0 and the home side chasing a two-goal buffer, Havertz’s link-up play between himself and his fellow teammates was pivotal to them seeing out a resounding victory in Europe’s most prestigious competition.

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An assertive presence from the front, the 55-cap Germany international gave the Monaco defenders no space to breathe and was busy in and around the six-yard box. Havertz, widely regarded as one of the best players to have turned out for both Chelsea and Arsenal, took his chance well, too, as he turned in Bukayo Saka’s driven cross from point-blank range.

Taking his 2024/25 tally to nine, Jesus’ goalscoring rate pales in comparison with his most recent Premier League strike being during a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest. All told, the £280,000-per-week earner puts together a compelling case for being the club’s leading man up top.

With Everton at home and back-to-back outings against Crystal Palace on the horizon, how many points the club manage to pick up between now and the turn of the year could solely depend on Arteta’s preferred option at centre forward.