The erratic Manchester City midfielder acknowledged that Arsenal made smart acquisitions this summer as Mikel Arteta's team looks to improve upon last year's title triumph. Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, and Jurrien Timber have been lauded by Kevin De Bruyne for their three new signings by Arsenal this summer.
On Sunday at Wembley in the Community Shield, the Manchester City superstar faced up against the three, and the Gunners won in an exciting penalty shootout. To many people's amazement, De Bruyne was one of City's spot-kick villains since his attempt hit the crossbar and rebounded back out. Before Fabio Vieira gave Arsenal the victory, Rodri had a penalty saved by Aaron Ramsdale.
De Bruyne discussed how the three Arsenal stars who moved to north London this summer are already demonstrating their value to the squad after the spectacular event. While Rice receives the most attention due to his eye-watering £105 million price tag, Havertz put on a standout performance as the team's forward leader, effectively connecting the midfield to the attack.
Even more amazing was the fact that Timber, who usually plays as either a central defender or a right-back, was employed as a left-back on the day. Timber was unquestionably the greatest player of the three. Regarding Rice, Havertz, and Timber's impact, De Bruyne said, "I think they are terrific players. "They consider what they require and purchase them.
"I believe all three of them were starters, so they were significant additions for them. Everyone in this league is constantly making purchases since everyone is focused on their own team, and every team in this league has a ton of money. Each year, the going gets harder. We make an effort to stay put in every manner we can.
Timber was a constant presence throughout the game and contributed both defensively and offensively, demonstrating that he was not intimidated by the pressure that comes with any performance at Wembley. Having said that, it was Havertz who made manager Mikel Arteta gush during the news conference following the game. He was excellent, Arteta said.
"He was terrific and got in wonderful situations to score because of the way he pressed and how intelligent he is to try and grasp specific areas and the time of it. Although he was unfortunate not to have scored, he was really physical when necessary, so I was very happy with him. If the title battle for the upcoming season is anything like the Community Shield, it will be a close, evenly-matched struggle.
Leandro Trossard's deflected goal in the 101st minute tied the score after Cole Palmer's beautiful curling goal in the 77th, forcing a shootout. Both City and Arsenal had times when they were obviously in the lead as well as others when they were not, but to many people's astonishment, it was the Gunners who emerged victorious.
