Kevin Campbell identifies three areas Arsenal can strengthen, talks Kai Havertz and slams VAR

In an exclusive interview with Ladbrokes Fanzone, former Gunners striker Kevin Campbell discusses the areas Arsenal need to strengthen, Kai Havertz and VAR.

Arsenal lack ruthlessness up front

I think Arsenal could still strengthen in midfield, adding someone, maybe, with that transitional speed. At the moment, everyone’s technical. But who’s the one who you’re looking at to break with a bit of pace in the middle? I look at that as an area which could be strengthened.

I also look at that forward role. Gabriel Jesus is incredible, don’t get me wrong. But it just goes to show, you’ve got to be able to have flexibility in the squad. Eddie Nketiah has done a good job, as has Jesus, but I don’t think Arsenal are ruthless enough going forward. Adding in another striker would be a really important spot to improve on, for me.

That ruthless edge, to score when you’re on top, is key. You’re not always going to be on top in games across the season, but you can pinpoint that moment against Spurs last week, when Jesus nicked the ball off James Maddison. For me, that was the moment to possibly even put that game to bed and go 2-0 up at home in the north London derby. It would have been huge, but you just knew what was going to happen, didn’t you? He’s in the box, he could have slid it in the corner and put his team 2-0 up, but he’s gone for the laces and smashed it over the bar – not ruthless enough. Especially at the Emirates right now, that’s an Achilles heel for Arsenal.

The worry is that we know who’s coming to town next – Man City. If you’re not ruthless with them, they’ll tear you apart.

And then, I think it’s vital they get someone else in behind Bukayo Saka. I’ll be honest with you, I really like the look of Pedro Neto at Wolves. I know Arsenal were once looking at him and he seems to be back in form. Because you’ve got so many games this season, you want to be flexible without your levels dropping. You want to be able to make a significant amount of changes to the team without affecting the quality on the pitch.

They’re the three areas I think the team can still strengthen. Defensively, you might say they can still build on what they’ve got.But they have a Swiss army knife in Takehiro Tomiyasu. He can play anywhere. Obviously they need Jurrien Timber back, too, but I think they’re alright at the back.

It says a lot that Havertz was first name Arteta wanted in summer

Look, to spend £65m on Kai Havertz, and bring him in from Chelsea, was a huge decision from Mikel Arteta and the board this summer – especially when a lot of Arsenal fans probably weren’t even thinking about him as an option. The club obviously see something in him, because off the back of last season, he was the first player they went and got this summer, which says a lot.

He struggled at Chelsea at times. Obviously he had that massive moment, scoring the Champions League winner. His Arsenal career up to this point hasn’t really been near the top level you’d expect, let’s put it that way, but he’s integrated himself into the team. I’ve watched him on a few occasions this season, and while there are times he perhaps doesn’t do so well, there are also times during the game where he’s actually surprised me. Technically, he’s very good, his work rate is a lot higher than I ever thought, too. These are the sort of things that most fans won’t really look at.

Neutral fans and rival supporters, all they’re interested in are his goals and assist numbers. They’re quick to throw mud at him because, as far as far as they’re concerned, he’s not worth the money, According to them, Arsenal have signed a dud. If you believe what you read on social media, then everyone’s against Kai Havertz. But I’ve been to games this season and that’s just not the case. The fans obviously want him to do well – they want him to shine. The fans are patient with him because they realise it does take a bit of time for players to come in, especially from a club like Chelsea, and then to understand this new system.

It would have been great if he’d hit the ground running, but it doesn’t always work that way. I’ve got to say, though, big up to the fans down at Bournemouth, because that was a massive moment for Kai Havertz. The lads won a penalty, [Bukayo] Saka didn’t take it, [Martin] Odegaard didn’t take it, they gave it to Havertz, and he stepped up and delivered.

People will say ‘it’s just a penalty’. No, it’s not just a penalty. It’s a massive boost for him, and it’s a connection with the Arsenal fans. That was a really important moment, not just in Arsenal’s season, but also on a personal level for Kai Havertz, who knows the fanbase really are behind him.

VAR is embarrassing and farcical – it’s basic stuff

The one word I would use to describe VAR right now is embarrassing. And I mean that. Embarrassing. I could also say farcical.

At the end of the day, we get all of these statements that come out after the game. People are going on like there’s massive pressure on these VAR referees. Where’s the pressure? There isn’t any on these guys! Do your job, it’s that simple.

It should apply to anyone. If you don’t do your job properly, I guarantee there’d be someone ready and waiting to replace you. At the end of the day, you’ve got to do your job. These are the parameters they’re working in. No one is asking these guys to do brain surgery…this is basic stuff and they’re still getting it horribly wrong.

What I thought was a really, really good game, got spoilt by the referee and the VAR, which isn’t what the Premier League is about.

Here we go again, constantly talking about VAR decisions. You know, getting stuff wrong. It was brought in to get stuff right! Now, if they can’t do that, you either scrap it or you bring in people who can do the job properly. It’s that simple.

I keep hearing excuse after excuse. It’s not rocket science. To me, it’s embarrassing. We’re still accepting these poor performances from VAR officials when it’s easier to get these calls right! It’s actually harder to get it wrong…it’s madness!