Mikel Arteta marked his return to the Arsenal dugout in a commanding 2-0 victory against Brighton, courtesy of Kai Havertz late strike. The Arsenal boss who was absent in the previous 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa, having accumulated three yellow cards, wasted no time getting back in the referee’s notebook again. Recall Arteta’s yellow card tally includes cautions for protesting during draws against Fulham and Chelsea and an over-celebration incident during the match against Luton. Meanwhile, the Seagulls faced Arteta’s frustration as he protested multiple fouls on Bukayo Saka, with no corresponding bookings for Brighton players. 
Gabriel Jesus opened scoring, before Kai Havertz sealed the win – Getty image However, Arsenal found their breakthrough in the second half, with Gabriel Jesus heading home from a corner. The match remained heavily one-sided, and Kai Havertz secured the victory by slotting into the bottom corner in the 87th minute, marking his fifth goal of the campaign.
Kai Havertz in Chelsea’s home jersey. Source: Getty The clubs have also reached an agreement in principle that will allow the player to have a medical. Havertz would be Arsenal’s second-most expensive signing after they paid a club-record fee of around 72 million pounds for Ivory Coast forward Nicolas Pepe in 2019. Germany international Havertz was signed by Chelsea on a five-year contract in 2020 for around 71 million pounds after two prolific seasons with Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen. At Chelsea, he won the Champions League in his first season, scoring the winner in the 2021 final against Manchester City. Played in several positions in the front line and midfield, Havertz scored 14 goals in the 2021-22 campaign but he netted only nine times last season as Chelsea struggled to score under three different managers and finished 12th in the table. 
Arsenal’s coach, Mikel Arteta. Source: Getty Chelsea are looking to offload players ahead of next season after spending over 600 million euros ($655.74 million) on new signings since they were bought last year by an investment group led by American businessman Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. They’ve also agreed to £30m deal with Manchester City for Croatia midfielder Mateo Kovacic, 29. Another midfielder, France international N’Golo Kante, 32, has agreed to sign for Saudi Arabian champions Al-Ittihad when his contract expires at the end of June. Arsenal finished second champions Manchester City and have qualified for the Champions League for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign. The north London club are also looking to strengthen their midfield with West Ham United’s Declan Rice among their main targets. 
Chelsea’s forward, Kai Harvertz at a home match. Source: Getty Kai Havertz emerged as a surprise target for Premier League runners-up Arsenal as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his attacking options this summer. Arteta wants to strengthen his squad at the Emirates Stadium as he eyes another title challenge and prepares for Arsenal’s return to the Champions League. Arsenal has made signing a new midfielder their priority during this window and remain optimistic about landing West Ham captain Declan Rice despite seeing an opening offer rejected by the Hammers. It is understood that Chelsea is willing to sell Havertz to Arsenal for the right price, as the German has two years remaining on his contract and has not indicated a desire to sign an extension. Havertz earns around £250,000 a week at Chelsea and Arsenal are believed to be willing to match that salary to take the Germany international to the Emirates. 
Arsenal coach, Mikel Arteta. Source: Getty With personal terms likely to be a formality, it now remains to be seen whether or not Arsenal can find an agreement with Chelsea for Havertz, as they also negotiate with West Ham United over Declan Rice. The Gunners are hoping that Havertz’s refusal to extend his stay at Chelsea beyond 2025 will bring the fee down. Havertz’s versatility is appealing to Arsenal boss, Arteta who can choose to play him up top, behind the striker, or as a roaming box-to-box midfielder. Arsenal have had an opening bid turned down for Kai Havertz, as @NathGissing first reported. #AFC will return and Havertz is very open to the move. Arsenal optimistic Chelsea won’t hold out for £75m. Talks quite positive despite the rejection.🔵 pic.twitter.com/086YlMGcgo — Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) June 16, 2023 The 2021 Champions League winner joined Chelsea as an attacking midfielder but has often been tasked with leading the line at Stamford Bridge. In his three seasons at Chelsea, Havertz has scored 32 goals in 139 games, including the winner in the Champions League final success over Manchester City two years ago. 
Havertz started Germany’s friendly against Peru days ago, setting up one goal and missing a second-half penalty in a 2-0 win. 
Havertz converted a penalty in Tuesday night’s last-16 clash, and it was a goal that gave Chelsea the 2-1 win on aggregate. The German footballer who spoke to reporters after the match was asked what qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Champions League meant for Potter. He told beIN Sports; 
“We know the pressure is coming at him. You can see he is a big manager. In the media I cannot believe how many people talk about him. “We have 100s of coaches in England that think they know better than him. We know in the changing room he’s a big personality and big manager and helps us all a lot. Me included. We are 100 per cent behind him. “Even though the people may not see it, today everybody seen he is a big manager.” 
The penalty itself drew controversy after Marius Wolf was penalized for handball despite having it kicked towards him at point-blank range. There was also another debate after Havertz was allowed to retake the penalty after it was adjudged that Salih Ozcan had encroached before the German kicked the ball. Speaking to BT Sport after the game, Bellingham said; 
“From where I was, it was pretty close and I’m not sure what more he can do with the hands. I don’t want to get in trouble, I’ve paid enough to them lot. That was disappointing and the fact they’ve had a retake is a joke. For every penalty, especially with a slow run-up, there’s going to be people encroaching. But that’s the game I suppose, he’s made the decision.”