kai havertz is back in the spotlight after telling reporters he feels “100 percent ready” following a stop-start season shaped by injuries. The Arsenal forward spoke to media on Tuesday (ET) on the eve of a tie with Bayer Leverkusen, framing the moment as both a personal reset and a timely boost for Arsenal. With Mikel Arteta publicly backing him after a recent run of consistent training, the German’s long-awaited return to Leverkusen now carries added weight for a team pushing toward major silverware.
Fitness update: kai havertz says he is “happy to help the team again”
Speaking ahead of the Leverkusen match, kai havertz described a difficult stretch that included long spells on the sidelines, but said it has sharpened his hunger to achieve “big things” with Arsenal. “We all know it [the season so far] was not what I expected it to be, ” he said. “But I always think that things happen for a reason and now I’m back and I feel good. I’m happy to help the team again. ”
He detailed the challenge of trying to trust his body again after a sequence of physical setbacks. “Mentally it was tough, ” he said, adding that support from family, Arsenal staff, and teammates helped him through the lowest points. He also stressed he stayed present around the group during his absence, saying he tried to help teammates off the pitch while being at the training ground every day.
Havertz said the pain from the injuries was unfamiliar and arrived unexpectedly, but he framed his recovery as part of a broader professional learning curve. “I’m professional enough to know that also this is part of football sometimes, ” he said, while adding he hopes to have “a lot of years” ahead of him.
Kai Havertz and Arteta: the manager points to “total consistency” in training
Arteta, also addressing the press on Tuesday evening (ET), praised the way Havertz handled the prolonged frustration of being unavailable. The manager said the striker’s form is trending the right way after a steadier period in his schedule: “It’s been three weeks that he had total consistency in terms of training, preparation and game time. ”
The renewed confidence comes after a season in which Havertz has been limited to 363 minutes in 2025-26 due to two knee injuries before Christmas and a minor hamstring issue last month. Even with limited exposure, his influence has been apparent when used, including contributions off the bench that helped Arsenal manage late stages in wins against Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Arsenal’s staff have also highlighted his functional value during matches: his ability to serve as a target for goalkeeper David Raya’s long balls, and his intelligence in drawing fouls to disrupt opponents’ momentum.
Why Leverkusen matters: the long-overdue “homecoming”
The meeting with Bayer Leverkusen is being framed as a long-overdue return for a player who came through the German club’s academy before leaving for England in September 2020. Leverkusen managing director of sport Simon Rolfes previously credited the sale of Havertz—worth up to £90 million—for enabling a restructuring that ultimately contributed to Leverkusen’s 2023-24 Bundesliga title win.
Havertz also used his pre-match comments to underline a defining trait: positional flexibility. “When I was an academy player I just played wherever the coach needed it to be, ” he said, adding that his priority is being “a threat in the box, ” scoring, and assisting teammates.
What’s next for kai havertz: minutes, momentum, and the run-in
Arsenal now faces a straightforward question with high stakes: how quickly kai havertz can turn his renewed fitness into sustained match rhythm. Havertz says he is ready, and Arteta says the consistency is back in training—two signals Arsenal will want to convert into reliable impact as the schedule intensifies. The Leverkusen tie is next, and it doubles as both a competitive test and a measuring stick for whether Havertz’s recovery can hold under pressure over the next couple of months.
