It's fair to say Kai Havertz has had a tricky start to the season after making a summer switch to Arsenal but has failed to make much of an impact yet at his new club.
The 24-year-old made the move from Chelsea as part of a busy summer of ins and outs at Stamford Bridge and headed to North London to sign for the Gunners in a reported £65 million deal.
However, Havertz's time at the Emirates Stadium has got off to a difficult start after not yet finding the back of the net for his new side and his struggles have been highlighted, sparking a passionate defence from boss Mikel Arteta.
Havertz is currently away on international duty with the German national team and was named in the starting team which lost 4-1 to Japan in a friendly.
Before the game, Havertz appeared in a press conference and seemed to take aim at the perceived lack of support for the German national team, stemming back to last year's World Cup in Qatar where they exited the tournament at the group stage.
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He said: “Anyone should have noticed when looking back at the World Cup that we didn’t have that much support in the country. We were really on our own.
"When you saw what other nations had for fans and support, I think that was something we were missing a bit.
“As the saying goes, the fans are the twelfth man and provide support even in bad times. We didn’t always feel it 100 percent.”
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And these comments from the attacker has drawn the ire of reporter Alfred Draxler, who writes for German publication BILD.
Among the bones of contention Draxler highlighted with Havertz's comments suggest the forward is "out of touch" for making the remarks and questions if the Arsenal man has spoken to fans regarding why they are actually being critical.
He wrote: "All you can say is: Is it still okay, Mr. Havertz? How out of touch are you actually? Have you ever spoken to a fan? Have you asked him why he is currently very critical of your performance?"
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And Draxler also highlighted the great expense which comes for supporters to watch international football in stadiums and the high ticket prices.
He added: "Do you actually know how much a ticket for the game against France on Tuesday in Dortmund costs? I bet you don't know.
"I'm telling you: between 25 and 100 euros. If a family wants to watch an international match, it's really, really expensive."
Topics: Arsenal, Germany, Kai Havertz, Football
John McDougall