Thomas Tuchel should put Mikel Arteta out of his misery and sign Kai Havertz once Bayern Munich have got their hands on Kieran Trippier. The 33-year-old defender has been heavily linked with a move to the Allianz Arena recently as the Bundesliga champions look to further bolster their squad during the January transfer window.
According to our sister site Chronicle Live, Bayern are interested in signing Tripper this month. The report states that German giants have set their sights on the England international, who remains close with fellow countrymen Harry Kane and Eric Dier.
Earlier this month, Tuchel revealed his plan to sign a new right-back with Nous Mazraoui currently away at the Africa Cup of Nations and Konrad Laimer – a midfielder by trade – often deputising the Moroccan in the backline. In his search for a new defender, the former Chelsea boss outlined his desire for somebody who is ‘strong in duels’.
“We are looking for a right-back who is strong in duels,” said Tuchel. “We’ll see if something is possible. Nous Mazraoui is at the Africa Cup, but we have also gotten used to Konrad Laimer at right-back, even though it’s not his best position. If there’s an opportunity on the market, we’ll take it. Otherwise, things will stay this way.”
Trippier sees his contract at St. James’ Park expire in 18 months and, after the Magpies recorded a £73.4million post-tax loss for the latest accounting period, the club are under pressure to operate within Financial Fair Play and Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules. In fact, Newcastle CEO Darren Eales recently admitted that every player has a price.
Nevertheless, Tuchel clearly wants to bolster his side’s ability to win duels and Havertz is somebody who could help him with that at the other end of the pitch. The Germany international has struggled to impress since joining Arsenal from Chelsea for £65million in the summer, but one attribute which has stood out is his ability in the air.
Havertz, who sees his contract at the Emirates Stadium expire in 2028, has featured 19 times for the Gunners in the Premier League this season, scoring just four goals and providing a single assist. Seeing as his market value has already fallen to £47.2million in just six months, according to Transfermarkt, Arteta should offer him to Bayern.
Luckily for Arsenal, Tuchel seems like a big fan of Havertz making the deal perfect for either side. In an interview with Glenn Hoddle back in 2021, the former Blues boss praised the German’s versatility and compared him to Dennis Bergkamp.
When asked if he sees Havertz as a conventional number nine, Tuchel said: “I’m still not sure. I see a bit of Dennis Bergkamp, Robin Van Persie, [Dimitar] Berbatov kind of player.
“He can play in the half position because he has good runs, but also feels free from the nine and creates overload to one side. When I watched him at Leverkusen, I didn’t know that I would coach him.
“When I watched him at Paris [Saint-Germain], they made him play as a nine which was very interesting. I remember when I watched a cup final against Bayern [Munich] with my staff and said ‘this could be a good role for him.'”
