Mikel Arteta has always been loyal to the players he trusts most, and there are few he trusts more than Kai Havertz.

He’s started all seven of Arsenal’s Premier League games this season, and only last week Arteta backed him to score 25 goals in a season, something he’s never done in his career.

Right now, though, he’s struggling, and with Everton at the Emirates on Saturday, it might be time for Arteta to try something different.

Kai Havertz needs a spell out of the Arsenal team

Following the 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich on Wednesday, Kai Havertz has now gone seven games without a goal. His last came against Chelsea on 6 September — no Arsenal centre-forward has scored since. That is despite the fact that Arsenal have found the net 16 times in that period.

But it isn’t just the goals that are missing. According to CBS Sports, Havertz has taken just 15 shots in 677 minutes. Per 90 minutes, Arteta is actually getting less shot production from his strikers than Nottingham Forest get from centre-back Murillo.

To be fair, Havertz has never been a proper, clinical goalscorer, and Arteta doesn’t pick him to be one. Even when the goals do come, his all-round game is what makes him so valuable, linking play and bringing others into it. Against Bayern, he was a useful outlet when Arsenal went over the press rather than playing through it.

But in recent weeks, even that side of his game has dropped off. He doesn’t look sharp and has produced nothing of note for quite a few games now. With Everton, Fleetwood and Liverpool all to come as we head into November, a rest could do him a lot of good.

Viktor Gyokeres deserves a chance to start

The obvious alternative, of course, is Viktor Gyokeres. He hasn’t scored for Arsenal this season, and he had a poor night against Lille last week, so this isn’t a case of him forcing his way in. But he scored 21 goals in all competitions last season, he hit four in four for Sweden during the international break, and his last two cameos have actually been quite encouraging.

At Forest, he helped Arsenal push for a winner, and against Bayern, his clever lay-off set up Declan Rice’s late equaliser. Rice praised the impact Gyokeres has been making off the bench, and plenty of fans now want to see more of him.

Arteta has another option too. Mikel Merino has filled in up front before, and his movement and presence in the box could suit a game against an Everton side likely to sit deep. However, the Arsenal boss has thus far been reluctant to revert to Merino as a striker.

Whichever route Arteta takes, Havertz has earned the right to be trusted. Right now, though, Arsenal need more from their No.9, and a run of seven games without a goal is reason enough to try someone else for a game.