With Kai Havertz all but set to sign for Arsenal in a big-money deal, the question now arises — where will he play for the Gunners?

Although he has mainly played as a forward for a dysfunctional Chelsea team last season, one of Havertz's great attributes is his versatility as he can also play out wide as well as behind the striker or as an advanced midfielder.

However, according to The Athletic's Chelsea correspondent Liam Twomey, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta — who believes Havertz can be maximized in a structured possession game — plans on playing him as a left-sided No. 8.

Essentially, he will be replacing the departing Granit Xhaka and have a more advanced role than the Swiss midfielder.

“That vision re-casts Havertz as a left-sided No 8 afforded the freedom to link play in the final third and join attacks from midfield, arriving late into the penalty area while Oleksandr Zinchenko or Kieran Tierney shift across from left-back into central midfield behind him,” Twomey wrote.

It's definitely surprising as most would have assumed he'd play the role of striker or behind the striker at the very least. With the Gunners heavily linked with Declan Rice, there was also an expectation that the England international would be the one to take Xhaka role.

However, it appears Arteta is a fan of Havertz's off-the-ball runs and movement — attributes that would greatly help offensively with the No. 8 role.

“Havertz’s off-ball movement should make him a really good fit, in an attacking sense, for the left-sided No 8 role,” Twomey added. “Xhaka’s redemption under Arteta in recent years was built in part on the way his off-ball runs into the box either provided a direct attacking threat or created more space for the winger on the Arsenal left (primarily Gabriel Martinelli).

“There is also the fact that many of Havertz’s best chances for Chelsea were generated from the right flank, either in the form of crosses, cutbacks or deeper deliveries into the box. It is not difficult to imagine Odegaard and Bukayo Saka combining to supply a steady, high-quality diet of the pass types… for him to convert.”

There is the natural concern of whether Havertz could emulate the defensive contributions of Xhaka in midfield in what would be the most challenging aspect of his positional adjustment.

However, the German international has always worked hard without the ball, so it doesn't appear to be too much of a concern for Arteta.

Regardless of what happens, it will certainly be interesting to see how Havertz is deployed in this Arsenal team, especially if it's in midfield.