Former Liverpool striker Dean Saunders has given his opinions on one of Arsenal’s latest signings – he think he is a ‘definite upgrade’ over his predecessor [via TalkSPORT].

The player in question is former Chelsea striker Kai Havertz. Despite playing the majority of last season as a lone centre-forward, Saunders believes that he will perform much better in the box-to-box role.

Additionally, Saunders also mentioned that he thinks Declan Rice is an ‘upgrade’ over Thomas Partey – he even went as far as to call Rice a ‘better version of Partey’.

Overall, Saunders expects big things from Arsenal next season – he appears to be very impressed with their lineup heading into the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.

What did Dean Saunders have to say on TalkSPORT?

On TalkSPORT’s breakfast radio show, Saunders said: “It’s a definite upgrade [on Xhaka and Partey]. Declan Rice covers the ground doesn’t he, he’s a like a better version of Partey. And Havertz for me, is better than Xhaka. I think in that position he is miles better.

“For me, Havertz is a bit like [Frank] Lampard, arriving in the box late. He’s not as good as Frank, not many were. But in that position, where Xhaka played, just ahead of [Declan] Rice, making runs, getting into the box, joining in, finding gaps, I think he’ll do well. I can’t see [Arsenal] losing many games next season.”

Are Havertz and Rice upgrades for Arsenal?

For the amount of money that Arsenal have spent on Havertz and Rice (£65 million and £105 million respectively), they will certainly be hoping for big things from both players.

While Havertz is not a natural central midfielder, he has all the necessary attributes to be a success in that position. He is strong, hard-working, possesses excellent technical ability and is a very good passer of the ball.

Moreover, he also has brilliant movement off the ball – which, as Saunders said, will allow him to attack the ball from deep positions.

We believe that Rice is a massive upgrade over Thomas Partey. The former West Ham man has all of Partey’s defensive ability, but also has better passing, dribbling and a higher work rate.

He will allow Arsenal to turn attack into defence within an instant – Partey did not have the level of finesse required to make this happen so quickly.