‘It is very rare to see’ – Kai Havertz heaps praise on ‘unbelievable’ Arsenal teammate



Arsenal forward Kai Havertz has heaped praise on ‘unbelievable’ teammate Bukayo Saka following Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Wolves on Saturday.

A goal either side of half-time from Havertz and Saka, respectively, sealed the deal for the Gunners on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Arsenal are looking to go one better in 2024/25 after finishing second only to Manchester City in each of the last two campaigns, taking the title race all the way to the final day last season.

Saka and Havertz both enjoyed fine campaigns last season, notching 16 and 13 Premier League goals respectively, with no player at the club scoring more.

Speaking after Saturday’s match, Havertz was full of praise for ‘unbelievable’ Saka, who he believes is performing at a ‘rare’ level.

“Saka is unbelievable,” Havertz declared to Sky Sports (via BBC Sport). “There are not a lot of players like him on the planet and he is still so young. He can get better. It is very rare to see a young player like this perform every week at the highest level.”

Bukayo Saka of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at Emirates Stadium on August 17, 2024 in London, England.

Arsenal have ‘room to improve’

Although they scored twice, it was Arsenal’s defensive play that stood out most against Wolves.

The Gunners allowed their visitors just 0.39 xG at the Emirates Stadium, while they made 13 tackles to Wolves’ 12 and also outperformed them on interceptions (8-6) and clearances (15-14).

There is room for Arsenal to improve, but they appear to have the defensive platform that could give them the edge in the title race.

“We can be happy but there was some room to improve,” said Havertz.

“The first 20 minutes were good. We had good chances. We then lost a bit of control of the game and our press didn’t work. Always 100% we defended deep very well. We didn’t give them a lot of chances and it is three points.

Up next for Arsenal is a trip to Aston Villa a week on Saturday.