Man City could have signed Declan Rice in the summer, but they didn’t, as Arsenal outbid them. Rice has turned out to be a fantastic signing for Arsenal; he might well end up being their best signing yet during Mikel Arteta’s reign. It is worth noting that he didn’t need time to adjust, and he didn’t struggle to provide what Arsenal’s midfield needed. He single-handedly elevated Arsenal’s midfield to world-class status.
Arteta bought him to add stability to his engine room, and he bought him to put an end to their defensive troubles in his midfield when Thomas Partey is unavailable. That said, other than as a No. 6, the ex-Hammer has also played as a box-to-box midfielder as well as a defensive midfielder. He has also scored goals, including a critical goal against Manchester United that helped Arsenal win 3-1, and he was the hero of the day on Tuesday night, scoring in the 7th minute of injury time to help Arsenal overcome Luton 4-3.
I have been going through different reviews of Rice’s impact at Arsenal, and journalist James McNicholus’ comments on Arsenal’s No. 41 have piqued my interest. While reminiscing about Rice’s influence at Arsenal, he boldly claims that Rice is the reason Arsenal is competing for the PL crown with Manchester City.
In addition to the journalist, former Premier League coach Sam Allardyce weighed in on Rice at Arsenal. He hinted at how well placed Arsenal are to fight for the title, saying on the No Tippy Tappy podcast, “They have one man who will make a huge difference in Declan Rice. A massive, massive player, so they are better prepared, and then it’s strength and depth in squad, they still have a lot of youngsters who make a contribution to their squad.”
Declan Rice has been a true game-changer for Arsenal. We can’t help but be impressed by him every time we see him in Arsenal’s colours. Without disrespect to West Ham, he simply needed a greater platform (no disrespect to West Ham) to show what a quality midfielder he is.
