Mikel Arteta has reaped the benefits of his spending spree last summer, with David Raya, Declan Rice and Havertz all raising the bar in north London and bringing the very best out of their teammates.

The Gunners have laid down a strong challenge for the title this season, though they could, once again, be forced to settle for second place behind Manchester City. Arsenal are currently one point ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side but have played one additional match.

Arteta’s side will need to be flawless in their final two games of the season if they are to prevent City from retaining their crown, and Havertz will definitely play a key role in their remaining fixtures. The Germany international has scored 12 and assisted six in 35 league appearances so far this season, leading the line expertly at the Emirates Stadium.

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Havertz is certainly on his way to justifying the £65million fee that the Gunners paid to acquire his services from Chelsea, and the 24-year-old has silenced his critics with impressive hold-up play and his willingness to drop deep and influence play centrally.

Arsenal will definitely be pleased with the business, and United could therefore be left to lick their wounds after opting against signing Havertz previously. According to The Athletic, the Red Devils scouted the versatile playmaker heavily before he joined the Blues from Bayer Leverkusen.

United made contact with Havertz in January 2020 but were quoted £90.8m by Leverkusen when registering an interest. But rather than trying to re-negotiate in the summer, they watched as Chelsea reached an agreement in the region of £72m to acquire his services.

The Red Devils opted to sign Edinson Cavani, Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellistri instead, and although Havertz did not fulfil his potential at Stamford Bridge, he appears to be a rejuvenated figure under Arteta and his good performance will leave the higher powers at United pondering ‘what if’ given that they are still in the market to sign a striker a whole four years later.