There has been a strange reaction from some Arsenal supporters following Kai Havertz’s injury.
Some fans have actually celebrated the injury because they believe it could finally give Viktor Gyökeres the opportunity to play regularly and prove himself in the Arsenal attack.
Yes, Gyökeres deserves his chance.
But celebrating the injury of another Arsenal player simply because you want to see your preferred striker start is taking things too far.
Football fans will always have their favourites. That’s normal. We all have players we would pick ahead of someone else.
But sometimes, maybe we need to trust Mikel Arteta a little more.
The Arsenal manager has made plenty of decisions that supporters questioned at first, only for those decisions to make more sense later.
Ødegaard over Maddison
Remember when Arsenal were heavily linked with James Maddison?
There were plenty of supporters who wanted the Leicester City midfielder at the Emirates. Maddison was already an established Premier League player and looked like an obvious option.
Instead, Arteta pushed for Martin Ødegaard.
At the time, not everyone was convinced.
Fast forward and Ødegaard has become one of the central figures of Arteta’s Arsenal. He has captained the team and played a major role in the manager’s project.
That decision didn’t look as obvious to everyone back then.
Raya over Ramsdale
Then there was the goalkeeper situation.
Arsenal already had Aaron Ramsdale, so when David Raya arrived, many supporters questioned the decision.
Why bring in another goalkeeper?
Why replace Ramsdale?
Arteta eventually made Raya his first-choice goalkeeper, and the Spaniard went on to win the Premier League Golden Glove after keeping 16 clean sheets.
Again, it was a decision that divided opinion before the manager’s choice became clearer.
Arteta doesn’t always follow the crowd
This is probably one of the biggest things Arsenal supporters need to remember.
Arteta isn’t necessarily going to select a player simply because supporters are demanding it.
He has a particular idea of how he wants Arsenal to play.
Technical ability matters. Tactical understanding matters. Physical qualities matter. The player’s ability to fit into the system matters.
Sometimes the player who looks like the obvious choice from the outside isn’t necessarily the player Arteta believes fits his plan best.
And that’s something supporters don’t always get to see.
Some players need time
Football can be incredibly reactionary.
A player can have three poor games and suddenly people want him dropped.
A new signing can fail to score in his first few matches and supporters start questioning why the club spent money on him.
Then things can change.
A player settles into the league. His teammates understand his movement. The manager finds the right position for him. Confidence grows.
Suddenly, the same player who was being criticised becomes an important part of the team.
That’s why judging every decision immediately can sometimes be misleading.
Look at what Arsenal have become
Whatever your opinion is on individual Arsenal transfers, it is difficult to ignore how much the squad has changed under Arteta.
The club has gone from rebuilding to competing at the highest level and, most importantly, Arsenal won the 2025/26 Premier League title.
That doesn’t mean every decision Arteta has made has been perfect.
It doesn’t mean fans aren’t allowed to question him.
They absolutely can.
But there is a difference between questioning a manager’s decision and completely losing faith in every decision he makes.
Now let Gyökeres take his opportunity
If Havertz is unavailable, then this could be Gyökeres’ opportunity.
The Swedish striker has been waiting for his chance to establish himself and regular minutes could give him the opportunity to show Arsenal supporters exactly what he can do.
That’s what competition for places is about.
If Gyökeres performs, great.
If he scores goals and becomes difficult to drop, even better.
But there is no reason to celebrate Havertz being injured.
Supporters can want Gyökeres to start without wishing anything bad on Havertz.
At the end of the day, both players are Arsenal players.
And Arsenal need both of them.
Maybe that’s the bigger lesson here.
The same Arteta decisions that supporters question today can sometimes become the decisions they praise tomorrow.
So let the manager do his job, let Gyökeres take his opportunity, and let Havertz recover.
Support Havertz. Support Gyökeres. Support Arsenal. ❤️🤍
Leave a Reply