As Kai Havertz wheeled away to celebrate his goal against Liverpool on Sunday, the Arsenal striker may not have realized he had just made Premier League history.

On what was his 172nd appearance in the competition, Havertz’s tap-in in Sunday’s 1–0 win was his 46th goal, taking him clear of Manchester City hero İlkay Gündoğan’s tally of 45 to make him the German with the most Premier League goals ever.

Rather than bask in the moment, Havertz preferred to divert the attention away from himself and over to teammate Declan Rice, whose excellent assist gave the German very little to do in front of goal.

“I think 90% of the goal belongs to that man,” Havertz told Sky Sports after the game. “We all know his right foot. Today he was there, brilliant overlap and perfect cross. For me it was an easy tap-in. As I said, I think that goal definitely belongs to him.”

The Highest-Scoring Germans in Premier League History

The Enigma of Kai Havertz Continues to Divide Opinion

The initial response to Havertz’s new accolade is one of confusion, with a tally of 46 goals in 172 appearances hardly standing out on paper.

In truth, that has been the debate surrounding Havertz ever since he joined Chelsea in 2020. Nobody has ever doubted his quality, but many have questioned what he actually is. Havertz has spent time as a winger and all across midfield but has settled in at striker at both of his London clubs, neither of which actually signed him to play in that role.

There are many Havertz sceptics out there, but the logic behind his continued involvement for England’s best side is clear to see this season. He may only have four goals in 14 games across all competitions, but three of those have come against Manchester City, Chelsea and now Liverpool.

Even last year, when injury restricted him to a total of 24 games and just 1,066 minutes, Havertz still found time to score against Man City and Chelsea to go alongside big goals in Champions League knockout ties, including one in the final against Paris Saint-Germain.

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Arsenal may be able to find more goals elsewhere—perhaps from somebody who is actually a natural striker—but that is far from guaranteed. The fact Havertz is still starting over Viktor Gyökeres should speak volumes.

Gyökeres scores more goals than Havertz—97 in 102 appearances for Sporting CP came before 21 goals in his first season at Arsenal—but manager Mikel Arteta has been left asking which of his two options actually contributes to winning when it matters most.

In the Premier League, Gyökeres’s 14 goals last year were shared between Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Burnley, Everton, Sunderland, Bournemouth, Fulham and a woeful Tottenham Hotspur. While scoring against any top-flight defense takes immense quality, Arteta has clearly backed the striker he thinks makes his side better against the elite.

That will never be enough for many of Havertz’s fiercest critics. Even Arsenal may well continue to search for an upgrade across future transfer window. But for now, however, the 27-year-old will carry on doing his job and contributing to winning. As Arsenal fans will always remind you: “£60 million down the drain, Kai Havertz scores again.”