Gary Neville was having none of the Kai Havertz and Roberto Firmino comparison on Sky Sports’ Super Sunday. “I don't think Havertz is as good as Firmino in any way, shape, or form,” he said, and he doubled down on that view by arguing the Liverpool forward did far more to unsettle centre-backs. Arsenal have still invested heavily in Havertz, signing him from Chelsea for £65 million in 2023.
Firmino's standard
Neville’s point was not about goals alone. He said Firmino was “unbelievable in the way in which he was a foil for [Sadio] Mane and Salah, it was essential,” then added: “No, no, no. Please, don't disrespect Firmino in terms of what a player he was by the way.” That is the level he believes Havertz is being compared with, and it is a hard bar for anyone to clear.
Firmino’s Liverpool record was 111 goals and 76 assists in 362 matches. Havertz has 38 goals and 18 assists in 114 appearances for Arsenal. The numbers show a forward with output, but they do not put him in Firmino territory, which is really the point Neville was making.
Arsenal's case for Havertz
The counterargument from Jamie Carragher was simple: “It didn't stop Mo Salah with Firmino.” Carragher was pushing the idea that Havertz can still be the right kind of team-first striker even if he is not the same player as Firmino.
Arsenal are still leaning on Havertz to lead the line. He has only 2 Premier League appearances this season and 1 Premier League goal, while Mikel Arteta is looking at a run that includes Sunderland away on September 12, Brighton away on September 19, Leeds home on October 10, Nottingham Forest away on October 18 and Everton home on October 24.
That schedule is a fair reason for Arteta to keep trusting Havertz, but Neville’s criticism still lands. Havertz can help Arsenal in ways that do not show up in a simple scoring race. Firmino, though, set a much higher standard for the comparison, and Neville was right to swat it down.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
