Mikel Arteta defended Kai Havertz and his Arsenal players after a wasteful FA Cup defeat to Manchester United, and said a potential striker signing is “not in my hands.”
Arsenal spurned a series of glaring chances in a 1-1 draw against United on Sunday before crashing out of the third round on penalties, with Havertz one of the biggest culprits.
The Germany forward, signed in a deal worth up to £67.5 million ($85.4m) from Chelsea in 2023, poked over from inside the six-yard box during the 90 minutes — one of his five attempts on goal — and was the only player to miss a penalty in the shootout.
Asked what he said to Havertz after the game, Arteta said: “To him and to all of them, that I love them, that we all love them individually and as a team they are a joy.
“What this team produces every three days is incredible regardless of what happens. And I’m not going to lose sight of that because of our results or for two because we didn’t deserve those results.
“What can we do better, let’s try to do it. It’s very difficult to achieve. It’s an emotional part. It’s something related to confidence as well. But it’s very difficult to ask something else from our players.”
Havertz’s display, coupled with an injury to Gabriel Jesus that Arteta described as a “big worry,” saw Arteta questioned again about entering the January transfer market for a striker.
Sources told ESPN’s James Olley prior to the January transfer window that the club would enter the market only if injuries or an unforeseen opportunity presented itself.
“I understand that [transfer question], but I cannot love our players more and we very much focus on the players we have to perform at the highest level,” said Arteta, who said earlier in January that more injuries could force the club into signings.
“And I focus very much on the ones that we have to perform at the highest level. That’s it. The rest is not in our hands, in my hands.”
Arsenal take on north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur next in the Premier League, on Wednesday at the Emirates Stadium.
