Kai Havertz excited to join Arsenal 'family' after completing £65m move from Chelsea

Germany international has signed a five-year contract at the Emirates Stadium

Kai Havertz joins Arsenal after three years at rivals Chelsea. Reuters

Kai Havertz said Arsenal's "family mentality" is a major reason why he was excited to join the club after completing his move across London from Chelsea on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old German has signed a five-year contract with the Gunners. The transfer fee is reported to be in the region of £65 million ($82m).

"It's super exciting for me personally. I'm so glad to join this amazing club," Havertz told the Arsenal website. "This club has such a big history, and I hope we we can achieve lots of things, and I'm just looking forward to meeting all the players, the staff, and yeah, it's going to be exciting."

Havertz joins Arsenal after the club's best Premier League season in seven years as the Gunners finished runners-up to Manchester City. He departed Chelsea after one of their worst, the Blues' 12th-place finish their lowest position since 1994.

Asked what has recently made Arsenal difficult to play against, Havertz said: "I think the family mentality that the team has on the pitch is one of the reasons why it so hard to play against Arsenal.

"I guess they have it off the pitch as well. So the team mentality in the squad is very, very high and you can feel that. Obviously there's so many talented players and there’s big room to achieve big things as well."

Arsenal's second-placed finish in the Premier League also marks their return to the Champions League after a six-year absence. Havertz has impressive pedigree in the competition, having scored the winning goal against Manchester City in the 2021 final as Chelsea lifted their second European Cup.

"I think the Champions League is a special tournament and I think every football player just loves to play there," the Germany international said.

"I was fortunate to win the trophy and for me it was the best feeling I've ever had. So to play there again next season with Arsenal is very exciting for me. Hopefully I can bring some good attributes into the team, hopefully to win the trophy again. Because I think it's the most special trophy to win."

Havertz arrives at the Emirates Stadium after three years at Chelsea, who signed the German from boyhood club Bayer Leverkusen where he emerged as one of the most exciting young talents in world football. He scored 32 goals in 139 games across all competitions for Chelsea.

He made his international debut in 2018 and has gone on to make 37 appearances for Germany, scoring 13 goals.

Havertz is Arsenal's first major signing of the summer but is not expected to be the last. West Ham United captain Declan Rice looks set for his own move across London after a fee of £105m was agreed between the two clubs on Wednesday, while Ajax's versatile defender Jurrien Timber is reportedly close to joining the Gunners.

Havertz's departure continues the flurry of outgoings from Chelsea this summer as the club aims to balance the books after spending around £600m on new players in the last 12 months.

N'Golo Kante left the club for Saudi champions Al Ittihad after his contract expired, while goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and defender Kalidou Koulibaly also moved to Saudi with Al Hilal. Midfielder Mateo Kovacic has joined Manchester City, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek is expected to complete a move to AC Milan.