Kai Havertz has revealed that the positive mentality within the Arsenal squad made his switch from Chelsea an easy one.
The German international has swapped West for North London, signing a long-term contract following his £65 million transfer. Havertz spent three seasons at Stamford Bridge, during which time he scored 32 times - including the winner in the Champions League final.
He told the club’s official website: “It's super exciting for me to be joining this amazing club and to be part of the Arsenal family. This club has such a big history, and I hope we can achieve lots of things.
“The mentality in the Arsenal squad is very high and you can feel that. That was one of the reasons why it has been so hard to play against Arsenal recently.
“The aim is to win trophies and I’m going to give everything to do that for the supporters and everyone at the club. I'm now looking forward to meeting all the players and the staff when we come back for pre-season.”
Havertz becomes Mikel Arteta’s first signing of a summer which looks destined to also include the arrival of Declan Rice. The Gunners are closing in on a £105m agreement for the West Ham skipper, but for now, it is all about the former Chelsea star.
“Kai is a player of top quality. He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield and variety to our play,” Arteta said.
“We welcome Kai and his family to Arsenal Football Club and we are all excited to start working with him when we start pre-season training soon.”
Gunners’ technical director Edu added: “We’re excited to bring Kai to the club and great work by everyone to get this deal complete. Kai is an exciting addition to our squad, who will bring great attacking quality and versatility.
“As an experienced 24-year-old, his signing represents another important step in strengthening our young core of talented players we have at Arsenal. We look forward to working with Kai.”
Havertz's official announcement came after images of him in an Arsenal kit had already been leaked over social media. For that, the German apologised to Chelsea fans - penning an open letter in the moments before his exit was confirmed.
“I would have preferred for you to hear my thoughts on leaving Chelsea first from myself before my thoughts on me joining my new team. This isn’t my style and it upsets me that you had to hear of it in this way," he wrote on his social media.
“Today, I find myself at a crossroads, where words can’t describe the emotions I’m feeling. It is with a heavy heart that I write this letter, saying goodbye to the club that has become my second home, and to the incredible fans who have supported me throughout this amazing journey.
“Together, we have experienced the highs and lows, the joys and heartaches. Today I want to thank each and every Chelsea supporter, member of staff, coaches and my team mates for the last years.
“Joining Chelsea 3 years ago was a big moment in my life and I’m looking back on these years with nothing but pride, gratefulness and loads of sporting success.
“From winning the Champions League in my first season to winning the Super Cup and the Club World Cup and now saying goodbye has been quite a journey that I will never forget.
“Every second of my time at Chelsea I identified with what it means to represent the club on and off the pitch and I hope that everyone remembers me for this. I’m looking back at memories that last a lifetime. The club will be forever in my heart and I made friends for life.
“It was an honour to be part of Chelsea history.”
