It’s the international break, meaning a long weekend without any PL action. If you’re bored because you won’t be seeing Arsenal do what they do best: dominate the Premier League, here’s an interesting update about Declan Rice to brighten your weekend.
Arsenal-affiliated journalist Charles Watts has been speaking of the anticipated Rice-Arsenal switch, about which he has had a number of things to say about the transfer mission.
First, he noted Arsenal would love not to overpay for Rice even if it is certain they will need a huge bid to complete his swoop as West Ham want their star man to be the biggest ever British sale. He also noted that Rice’s deal will be as significant as Mesut Ozil’s deal was back in 2013, though he believes this will rank second to Ozil’s one in terms of significance.
Additionally, he notes that just like Arsenal once beat a number of top teams for Sol Campbell, they could do so with the Rice deal, a deal that could show how much Arsenal have grown under Arteta, how they are slowly returning to being the European heavyweight they were once known to be. And it is also worth noting that the best UK football bookies all make the Gunners favourites to sign Rice, well ahead of moneybags teams like Chelsea and Man United.
So what did Watts say? “I just watched that game and thought that he would be such a fantastic signing for Arsenal if it does happen. It won’t be easy, and it will cost a lot of money. We’ve heard time and time again from West Ham that it will take a British record fee for Declan Rice; whether that will happen remains to be seen, but I’m pretty sure that Arsenal will try to get him for much cheaper than that,” Watts said on his YouTube channel.
“I honestly think if Arsenal sign Declan Rice this summer, it would be the biggest signing Arsenal have made. Maybe Mesut Ozil comes before this, but it would be the biggest signing since Sol Campbell in terms of the teams they have to beat to sign him and the stature of the player right now. If they could get this deal done, the message it would send out would say an awful lot about where Arsenal are and how they have moved forward in a short space of time.”
Other than Watts’ claims, how do you think Rice’s deal will be significant to Arsenal?
Personally I would rather go for Onana before Rice. Onana is more versatile and can play as a DM and a CM, which we need 2 midfielders for those positions, and Onana can play either,
Not to mention Onana is significantly less cost wise, as Rice has the British tax added to any potential fee.
Totally agree ,not sure whats so special with Rice , yes he’s a good solid option but 100 million 😂
Unfortunately from what I’ve read over the last 6months we are definitely in for him ,another slow robust midfielder that does not get the juices flowing ,for me atleast .
Where are the powerful athletic midfielders that take the game by the scruff of the neck and excite the fans ?seems Arteta likes the previous option as he was that kind of boring player .
Onana every day of the week .
Pretty cutting remarks, Dan but ones that I completely agree with. Declan Rice is arguably the best in the league at what he does but what is it he actually does? He runs around a LOT and makes some decent tackles but that’s it. He never scores, doesn’t assist and never seems to make any cutting passes, he just runs. I’d want a lot more output for £100M+
I too would prefer Onana because he’s more mobile imo. Until the summer before we know who’s coming in.
Declan Rice is a Powerful defensive midfielder, and a top one at that.
In my opinion the gaffer goes for highly technical players as opposed to power.
Lacottelli, Zubimendi, Caicedo are more inline with the gaffer profile of players.
Lee Dixon was reported in football London on the 17th of this month that Arsenal is using Declan Rice as a Smoke screen to sign his own type of player.
But the Declan Rice story just won’t go away, but either way the gaffer is not known for showing his hands especially this early.
Ha! If Arsenal really is using Rice as a smokescreen, Dixon seems to be attempting to blow the smoke away.
Could be a lot of truth in it though, unless it’s a double bluff and we actually do want Rice.
I’d like to see more UK born players in the squad just out of pride in homegrown stars, so him and/or Phillips would suit me.
Souness and many Gooners are short sightedly ignoring the great strengths in Rice’s game, which is defensive solidity and snuffing out attacks. He is not a specialist attacking midfielder at all and midfielders come in all shapes and guises.
To find one who is so complete is EXCEPTIONALLY RARE and we would be unwise to wait for such an almost impossibly talented player to show up.
Rice is ultra top class in HIS specialist role and IF, which I doubt, for money reasons only, we could land him, it would be a massive plus for us.
Anyone who doubts that OBVIOUS TRUTH is not a serious football observer at all.
Jon, I’d agree that Rice is arguably the best in the EPL at what he does, but what is it that he does besides run about a bit? He puts in some decent tackles I’ll admit but then any defensive midfielder in the league will give you that. If we just want someone to break down opposition attacks then João Palhinha from Fulham is far superior. Rice doesn’t score goals, he doesn’t get many assists, and doesn’t really even seem to play any meaningful passes. We need more than just a great athlete for the sums of money being banded about.
You’re right about the perfect player probably not existing, so then we are left looking for the next best thing and I’m just not convinced Declan Rice is it. In my opinion he got outshone in the England Vs Italy game by a fat, ring-rusty Kalvin Phillips at least for his defensive work.
We must presume that Arteta knows exactly what and who he wants. My thoughts are that he would ideally like Zubimendi but that seems unlikely to happen as the players seems to want to stay in Spain for another year, so by definition it that were true than we are looking at dropping 100M+ on a back-up option. That doesn’t seem to jive with what we have seen from this management team, so it kind of just leaves us speculating as to what may evolve during the summer.
Well Ben, that is YOUR opinion and it is allowed. Clearly though, I do NOT share it!
Thats called,”simply being fans”.
I really believe MA wants Rice and that our club will try to land him. Though I expect us to FAIL to do so.
Don’t get me wrong, Jon. I will not be upset if we do land Rice, I just think it’s an odd fit for the players we have and the style of play we use. He will certainly get about the pitch that’s for sure. But who gets left out? He’s not going to replace Thomas Partey and I don’t think he gives as much in the final third as Xhaka and our number 34 doesn’t exactly lack for pitch coverage. I just don’t see where Rice plays if we get him. What are your thoughts?
Next season, whether we win the league or not, we will be playing in the Champions League. We will also be playing against top 5 teams who have all improved during the Summer window.
I believe we will need 4 strong defensive midfielders to compete.
Not only will we need a Rice, but we will need a Caicedo type player too.
Incidentally, If Real Madrid come in for Jesus, I would sell him without out a second thought!!!
He hasn’t scored in quite a while. and he earns a lot of money!!!
Controversial JW and despite my article from a few days ago I too would sell Jesus if Real came in for him. He brings a lot to the team but the face that we sustained our push for the league without him suggests we can do well without him. He’s a strange player because he doesn’t score enough to be the main source of goals but is instrumental to the way we play and gives so much to the team in other aspects. I’d love to see Vlahovic as our front man.
Is there any point in entering serious talks for this player if a record bid needs to be made? We’re out of the running unless Wham wants Rice to move to Arsenal as they see us as being the perfect next step in Ricer’s development. We need Wham to look out for the player. Also, I have Partey down as a better player than both Rice and Caciedo, so it’s a successor we are looking for, Rice would not move unless guaranteed playing time.
I don’t know what to think about this one, the volume of rumors but the price is too high and on top of that we have the best cdm in the league imo for another two seasons. A head scratcher
What will be the fee for Rice, and is Caicedo type fee too much for a player in his final year?
Who does he bench, or will he be content to come in and rotate games in the midfield?
A healthy Partey starts, so who sits between Rice and Xhaka, and will they be happy with waiting their turn to play?
With the trust Arteta has shown to Xhaka he will surely not complain if he will be on the bench next season considering their will be many cup games plus Champions League, Thomas Partey with is injury record is not good so we need at least two more midfielder CM/CDM if Sambi Lokonga or Mohammed Elneny is sold or send on loan for more playing time next season
I’ve watched him and imo he is a decent player but not extraordinary.. And for the cost I’d prefer other alternatives like Caicedo, Zubimendi or even Onana.. In any case I trust Mike and Co will make the right decision ultimately
You’ve got watched enough Zubimeni to properly rate him?
For me it’s a no brainer. Like said above rice snuffs out attacks and will definitely help to prevent the unnecessary goals that we concede each season. Pops up every now and then with a smashing goal playing in an arsenal team oppose to a west ham team I believe he’ll get a few more. But we’re buying him for his defensive capabilities in my opinion. He’s a very good player and I for one would love to see him here!
think the question is whether someone that mainly just snuffs out attacks is worth 100mill.
if he was around the 50/60mill mark i think there would be a lot less of a debate, but 100mill for a player about to go into final year of contract that isnt a “game changer” seems quite high.
Well said.
We have a great player in Partey for 45 million transfer fee. I’m aware costs have risen, but the rumored 100 million for Rice in his last year is too steep IMHO.
Durand , Partey is already 29 and very injury prone. Why would you or any other sensible fan wish to start our probable title defence next season with ONLY Partey as a midfielder of TOP QUALITY in snuffing out attacks?
I DO fully accept the likely transfer fee as being a likely barrier to it actually happening, but not to HOPE for it seems to me to lack any sense whatsoever.
Jon
I agree we need a DM in the Summer, it’s a must. Jorginho and ElNeny simply aren’t the answer. My opinion on Rice is fantastic player, but not at the rumored cost.
IMHO Onana is more versatile, technical, and cheaper; and would be my choice over Rice.
I also agree that now is the time to address the DM issue due to Partey’s injury record and age. There are options available without price tags like Rice and Caicedo.
bob, Not a “game changer”? Of COURSE a proper DCM is a game changer!
GAMES ARE CHANGED BY MORE THAN JUST A TOP STRIKER, in case you have never noticed!
dont need the caps, can read it perfectly normally without the need to shout it.
where did i say only strikers are game changers? in my eyes, for a midfielder to command anywhere near that fee, they need to be the type of player that wins a game single handedly..i.e. de bruyne, gerrard etc.
rice will not do that, will never do that. he is not a game changer, but he is very good at his role. never once have i said he is a bad player, he just isnt anywhere near as good as the price tag
Agreed. If pat viera, keane or deschamps were around today, they would be £100 million players. Is rice in that sort of company? No. Hes a good closing down player, but his distribution and finishing isnt good enough for anything like that sort of money.
Just to tell you bob, about the important difference between EMPHASIS and shouting!
In normal speech, unless one is monosyllabic, WITH ZERO VOCAL INFLECTION, as the younger Rooney was, so boringly, it is normal to use EMPHASIS in spoken dialogue.
Caps are merely emphasis in written dialogue and NOT shouting. Now you know, at long last!
Since the inception of the internet forum, and on into today’s social media, using caps for whole words is ‘shouting’. Internet etiquette (ie what the creators of the WWW set down as standards) also stats that excessive use of caps is rude. No offense.
Marge, if you have ever read manyof my posts over the years, which seems unlikely, you would know that I take no notice of so called norms.
I state my case without fear favour or bias and I AM CONSISTENT IN SAYING what I think.
BTW, I do not take “offence”, as you are merely telling me what you claim others may do.
That is an irrelevance to me and so no offence is taken.
Pco, The most sensible post on this thread so far, bar only my own of course!
My own view is that after going so VERY many years with Wengers teams with a rank poor defence with such stumers as Sokratis, Mustafi and God knows HOW MANY OTHER feeble defenders around the whole defensive part of the team, the possible , even though financially unlikely, import of an UNDENIABLY TRULY TOP CLASS SNUFFER OUT OF OPPOSITION ATTACKS would be more than just welcome. I for one, would be more than content that he cannot also score thirty goals a season nor assist another thirty.
But then I start from the sensible position of FULLY RECOGNISING the vital importance of a PROPER AND TOP CLASS DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER.
A position that Wenger wilfully ignored for a full decade since Gilberto left us!
It would be something to CRAVE that we DO get!
He is a very good defensive midfield player. But he isnt good enough at what the very best defensive midfield players do, and that’s turning defence into attack, and as such he’s more talbot than viera. Unfortunately, for the reasons you’ve rightly stated, Wenger’s career long obsession with attack over defence, and building a trophy winning side built purely on youth, we don’t have a campbell or Adam’s that can do that, which means we ‘must’ have a defensive midfield player who can. That I’m afraid, is the way it is.
that is the issue jon, this a forum for discussion yet you take no notice of anyone else as you see it as an irrelevance.
this is shown by the need to over emphasise every statement you need to make, which does imply “shouting” and that no one elses opinion is correct, however, it is just that, an opinion.
I.e. YOU may think that rice is £100m player, whereas OTHERS do not, it is just an opinion, there is no way to classify the true value of a player, the value of a player is what a club is willing to pay.
Bob., I realzsie that it is hard for you to understand that some folk, of which I am one of very many , do not change our minds with the wind but make up our OWN minds and stick to what we think is right.
I am about as far as it is possible to be from being a snowflake, as you and certain others seem to be.
I am my own man, always have been, always will be.
If you don’t like it, then tough, old son!
Thats just how it is and how it will stay!
im a snowflake? haha alright SON, what ever you say. you clearly are not grasping the rather simple point of this that there is a way to have a discussion, where people share opinions in a grown up manner, opposed to you that is like the kid that will take his ball home if he doesnt get his way
I think so. People are always wow by the attacking pyramid Saka martenilli/Trossard Jesus attack looks beautiful and we know we will see some more wonderful attacking plays from them. But think of and admire the defensive pyramid of saliba magalhaes and hopefully rice. It’ll take some team to get goals against us!!!
If your Dm cannot transition defence to attack, just forget it. It’s gonna be tough.
Rice will need to level up that part of his game. His price needs to come down also.
i dont think anyone is underrating him, i think most people see the price tag as not realistic for the role he would perform and the contract he has remaining.
Maybe it’s all a deception. Arteta had used many so-called superstars to silently sign better player for cheaper price. Wow to Youri Tielemans but got Fabio Viera. Wow to Lisandro Martinez but got Oleksandr Zinchenko. Wow to Mykhylo Mudryk but got Leandro Trossard. Wow to top 4 finish but now leading the league. Edu and Arteta is a crafty bunch indeed.
Sorry, Mike. But are you suggesting that Fabio Vieira is better than Youri Tielemans or that Leandro Trossard is better than Myhailo Mudryk? Zinchenko and Martinez don’t even occupy the same position on the pitch… Trossard is not better than Mudryk but has certainly enjoyed a better time since their respective transfers. They’re really even the same type of player. Mudryk or more similar to Martinelli in his style with his pace and direct approach, whereas Trossard and Jorginho could have a battle as to who is the slowest. Trossard is a decent player who is 28 years old that has been plying his trade in the EPL for a few years and has been elevated by playing alongside better players since joining Arsenal. Meanwhile, Mudryk joined a soulless club, in a foreign country, at age 22, coached by an inept manager who is woefully out of his depth, and has to battle against other skillful, more experienced players for his position. I don’t think you can really justifiably compare the 2 of them. Vieira and Tielemans are both pants they are just pants in different parts of the pitch. I’ll give you Zinchenko though. His success has been one of the stories of the season. I am particularly glad we didn’t sign Martinez. There’s just something about him I don’t like.
Spot on mate! Where’s the damn like button?