Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher says he is already “convinced” that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will pick Kai Havertz ahead of Viktor Gyokeres when the German returns from injury.

Speaking on The Overlap, Carragher raised concerns about Gyokeres‘s ability and he feels the Swedish international will not start the “biggest games” this season if Havertz is fit and available:

“We said before about not judging players after three games but there was a lot of talk before he came in of his goal record [being] amazing. But there was then a school of thought of other people saying, ‘I’m not quite sure this guy’s good enough for the actual elite’.”

“Now, we’ve only seen him for three games. He’s already got two goals, but he’s not the easiest on the eye, is he? I’m still convinced that when Havertz is fit, Havertz will play the biggest games.”

Why are some having doubts about Gyokeres?

It’s certainly very early to be writing off the striker, and the fact that he has scored 2 goals in 3 games makes Carragher’s criticism even harsher.

Of course, with the club having paid £64m to secure Gyokeres’s services, fans should expect a certain level of performance. It is fair to say that he didn’t look overly impressive in the two big away games against Manchester United and Liverpool.

However, he is still acclimatising to the Premier League, and Carragher should know better than to make any sweeping judgements at this stage.

When will Arsenal have Havertz available again?

The German international has been forced to undergo surgery due to a knee problem which flared up after the opening day win over United.

Arteta has confirmed that Havertz faces “many, many weeks” on the sidelines, although it is believed that the former Chelsea forward will not be out for the long term.

Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here