Ten Haag is to United as Havertz is to Arsenal. They were brought in to do a certain job and they’ve transitioned to doing a different job.

Ten Haag was brought in to fill a role that Arsenal fans should be very familiar with: just make a few good signings and catapult the club back into the big time. Turns out that doesn’t work when the rot has crept into every crevice of your club. Now he’s overseeing their “rebuild”, which isn’t… really going well. They’re doing a Project Youth, but by overpaying a la Chelsea and being hamstrung by FFP because of various financial difficulties.

Havertz was brought in as another 8, but it was pretty clear that that’s not where he’s best. Now he’s firing on some cylinders as a striker. The Kai of years past never would have attempted that audacious lob at Brighton, for example.

In both cases, both clubs are exploring alternatives to both of these: United were actively shopping around in the summer as ten Haag sat in the cuck chair and pretended not to notice. Arsenal have been linked to every striker under the sun even after Havertz started popping off.

What’s the difference here? Havertz is actually a good player at his core. He may not be a world-class LCM or striker, but he can do the business and do a middling job at 8 or honestly a decent job at striker. Ten Haag has displayed absolutely no managerial quality since he arrived. He’s gotten into fights with his players, slagged them off in press conferences, looks completely out of his depth tactically, and has some of the thinnest skin I’ve seen from a United manager, and that is saying something. Long may he last.

/hitpiece