ESPN pundit Craig Burley has said that he’d take Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones ahead of one high-profile counterpart in Arsenal’s team.
The 22-year-old has scored three goals in his last four appearances for the Reds, netting a brace in the Carabao Cup win over West Ham before Christmas and also finding the net in the 4-2 win over Newcastle on Monday night (Transfermarkt).
Kai Havertz had enjoyed a similarly fruitful spell for the Gunners with four goals in seven games prior to the festive period, but he’s been kept quiet since their win at Brighton in mid-December (Transfermarkt).
Speaking on ESPN FC, Burley named a few reasons as to why he’d plump for Jones ahead of the £67.5m Arsenal playmaker.
The 52-year-old said: “We know Kai Havertz has been a big talking point. £70m, why wouldn’t he be? I’d have Curtis Jones ahead of him [not just] because he got a goal [v Newcastle], because he makes things happen in the middle of the park. He gets on the ball, he drives forward, he’s a homegrown player.
“I think [Havertz] is a big problem for Arsenal, and when you look at what Liverpool have coming off the bench, I think Klopp has actually got more options in the forward department.”
The Germany international has proven to be a big-game player in the past, never more so than when scoring Chelsea’s winner in the 2021 Champions League final.
However, Liverpool fans will be delighted with the impact that Jones has been making of late, and his status as a successful academy product compares very favourably with the huge fee that Arsenal paid for the 24-year-old.
You can view Burley’s comments below (from 4:48), via ESPN FC on YouTube: