In a recent report, The Daily Mail claimed that Arsenal are determined to recruit West Ham United star Declan Rice. It has been stated that the Gunners are hoping to land the England international at the end of this campaign.
Rice’s Up And Down Season In English Football
The 24-year-old has experienced a campaign of mixed emotions at West Ham but deserves credit for putting in a handful of solid displays at the centre of David Moyes’ midfield. Rice has found the back of the net once and earned three assists in 27 matches for the Hammers this season in various competitions.
The English sensation has anchored the midfield well by averaging 2.3 tackles, 1.7 interceptions, 1.3 clearances, 1.2 shots and 1.2 key passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League. He has even been accurate when distributing possession from midfield after completing 89.2% of his attempted passes in the English first division (stats via whoscored).
The London-born sensation’s current contract at the London Stadium is set to run out in the summer of 2024. Thus, the Gunners will have a good shot at recruiting Rice on the cheap at the end of this campaign.
Is Rice A Dream Option For Arsenal Head Coach Mikel Arteta?
Rice is a solid tackler of the ball and can read the danger well to secure the ball back for his team at the centre of the park. He doesn’t mind putting his foot through the ball when required and can even engineer some decent chances in the final third. The English sensation can strike the ball purely from long range and can make a few clever runs with the ball from midfield. He mainly operates as a holding midfielder but can also fill in as a central defender if asked to do so.
We can expect Rice to inject more quality into Mikel Arteta‘s midfield department at the Emirates Stadium. He is good enough to earn a regular starting spot at the North London club and would be an ideal, long-term successor to Granit Xhaka who is about to enter the twilight years of his playing career.
At 24, the Three Lions star will only get better as he continues to mature as a footballer. Thus, Rice would be a dream option for the Gunners to pursue at the end of this season as he will help them be more dominant in English football and challenge for the Premier League title more often in the coming seasons.
