Craig Burley now claims club have got ‘weaker’ after signing 24-year-old player from Chelsea

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Craig Burley thinks Arsenal have made their starting XI weaker after signing Kai Havertz from Chelsea.

Arsenal bought Kai Havertz from their London rivals during the summer and Craig Burley, speaking on ESPN FC, has been quite critical of the forward.

He has really struggled since leaving Stamford Bridge for the Emirates, managing just one goal in 11 Premier League appearances.

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent, who actually supports Arsenal, is another person who has questioned the Gunners’ decision to sign Havertz.

Arsenal a weaker side with Kai Havertz in it

For Burley, Arsenal have become a weaker side after the introduction of Havertz into the starting XI.

Discussing the German and his teammate David Raya on ESPN FC, the former Chelsea player said: “It is my opinion that these two players have made the Arsenal starting XI weaker.

“Now Declan Rice has made it stronger, in my opinion, these two have weakened those two positions — one of them 70 million.”

How have Chelsea got on without Kai Havertz?

Chelsea have not exactly been flying following Havertz’s departure, with the club having just entered the top half of the table after beating Tottenham 4-1 on Monday, but have swiftly moved on from the 24-year-old.

The Blues signed Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal during the summer and while he has struggled at times this season, he has five Premier League goals after his hat-trick versus Spurs.

To put that into perspective, Havertz, who led the line for Chelsea last season, only managed to score seven times in 35 appearances. It is a tally Jackson should easily surpass before the campaign ends.

If you are Chelsea, then, allowing Havertz to join Arsenal was probably a good move, especially when you consider how much money they got for him.

According to BBC Sport, the Blues sold the Germany international to their rivals for £65m. They made basically all of their money back despite the player not showing too much progress during his time in west London.

His Arsenal career has just started, though, so he still has plenty of time to turn things around.