Pundit says ‘explosive’ Arsenal player is genuinely looking so much faster in pre-season

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Arsenal have ended their pre-season preparations and attention now turns to the season opener at Old Trafford.

It was a mixed bag for Mikel Arteta’s side as they recorded three wins and two defeats in the build up to the 2025-26 campaign.

There were plenty of positives for Arteta to take, Max Dowman showed what an incredible talent he is already and Martin Zubimendi earned a number of plaudits for the way he has settled in.

Viktor Gyokeres was delighted to score his first goal for the club during the 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao but former Gunners star Adrian Clarke has highlighted one player that looks a lot different following the summer break.

READ MORE: Benjamin Sesko says his biggest strength is an area of weakness for Arsenal star Viktor Gyokeres

Adrian Clarke thinks Kai Havertz is looking faster this season for Arsenal

Speaking on the latest episode of the ‘Handbrake off’ Arsenal podcast, Clarke has expressed his belief that Kai Havertz is looking faster this pre-season after summer training.

Clarke stated: “I think Kai Havertz went away this summer, knowing that Arsenal would sign a top striker, he didn’t know it would be Gyokeres.

“He probably thought he’d be him or Sesko or another. So this isn’t a surprise to me, but what he’s done, he’s got himself ready for it. By bulking up, I mean, the speed he showed, maybe showed me that he’s worked a bit hard, maybe on some sprint training, on being a little bit more explosive.

“He’s basically just trained his body to be more of a striker.”

Havertz was also on the scoresheet in the Gunners’ final pre-season fixture and is now looking to build upon that goal as he strives to get back to full match sharpness.

Arteta is expected to start Gyokeres in the Premier League opener against Manchester United but Havertz welcomed Gyokeres to the club warmly and will have no problem in trying to make an impact from the bench or in another role.

Kai Havertz’s versatility could be crucial for Arsenal this season

Gary Neville’s prediction about Havertz backs up what Clarke has been saying about the German becoming bigger and stronger this summer.

Havertz will likely be used as a centre forward this season in rotation with Gyokeres, but also has the ability to play deeper as well.

Should Arteta wish to change his approach depending on certain opponents, we could see Havertz playing off Gyokeres in more of a 4-4-2 system that worked well last season with Leandro Trossard moving more centrally.

The number eight role was also played by Havertz on numerous occasions last season and the 26-year-old may well be utilised there once again during the upcoming campaign.