And this season too he proved to be a man for the important moments. In the first leg of the round of 16 in the premier class at his former club Leverkusen, he made it 1-1 late, again from the penalty spot. In the quarter-finals at Sporting Lisbon he scored again as a joker in stoppage time for a 1-0 win. Since the second leg remained goalless, his goal was the decisive factor in Arsenal’s place in the semi-finals. In the league a few days ago he headed the 1-0 winning goal against Burnley, which ultimately meant Arsenal’s first championship title in 22 years because rivals Manchester City made a mistake the next day.
In short: Havertz was always there when it became important. And that despite the fact that he missed most of the current season due to injury. “When he has a rhythm and is really fit, then he is a great player and very important,” ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann praised him in an interview with Münchner Merkur/tz.
Havertz: “There were days when you were in dark places”
That rhythm is the crux of the matter for Havertz, who has experienced a real injury odyssey in the last year and a half. In February 2025, a persistent thigh injury ended his season prematurely. After the first league game of the current season, in which Havertz celebrated his comeback, the suffering began again. Knee injury, surgery, compulsory break until the end of the year.
In an interview with “Focus” he recently admitted: “There are days when you are in dark places – I can’t and don’t want to lie. The problem for me was that I first had a serious injury (the thigh injury mentioned above, editor’s note) and then I tried everything for four or five months to get back on the pitch as quickly as possible. I finally managed that and felt in top shape.” And then came the start of the season at Manchester United.
Havertz only returned to the pitch in January. He was only able to appear twelve times in the league this season. In his five Champions League appearances, he was never on the pitch for more than 45 minutes. And yet he was so important on the way to the final.
The good news for Arsenal: Havertz is now fully fit – and ready for the next big moment. He says: “When I was injured I was feeling really bad. But everyone has been telling me since January that there is still so much to play for. I’m just happy to be back here now.” All “Gunners” fans are sure to be happy too. Including Thierry Henry.
