As things stand, The Gunners risk losing Declan Rice’s transfer swoop to the Citizens. For the better part of Thursday, all reports suggested Pep Guardiola was working on a move to convince the 24-year-old to join his project. As per the Sun, the Citizens are so convinced Rice is the player to replace Ilkay Gundogan that they are keen to match West Ham’s £100 million asking price, and not just that, they are eager to offer him a £200k a week deal like West Ham were keen to provide him with to convince him to stay. It is not certain that City will win Rice’s race, but if they do, what does that mean?
Manchester City could have the strongest midfield ever.
We recently highlighted how the team that unleashes the strongest midfield between Arsenal and Manchester City could be the real deal next season In the end, if Arteta fails to sign Rice, you’d agree that whoever he signs wouldn’t take his midfield to the heights the Hammers would have. On the other hand, even with the departure of Gundogan and probably Bernardo Silva, Guardiola could still unleash one of the strongest midfields, featuring Rodri/Kovacic, De Bruyne, and Rice. With a strong midfield, Manchester City could easily continue their dominance.
Arsenal may be forced to pay what Brighton wants for Caicedo.
A few days ago, reports suggested the Gunners no longer wanted to sign Caicedo. His swoop was considered expensive, with claims the Seagulls are asking for as much as West Ham wants for Rice. After missing out on Rice, Caicedo is the next logical move for Arteta. The Ecuadorian midfielder is not Rice, but he has everything in him to take Arsenal to the next level. The 21-year-old was the first choice for Arteta in the winter transfer window when he had a desire to bolster his midfield. After adding Havertz to take over the Xhaka role, Caicedo could play the Partey role and be deputised by Romeo Lavia, who is also tipped to join.
Gooners will question the club’s transfer strategy.
Failing to sign Mykhailo Mudryk in the winter transfer window angered many Gooners, who lost trust in the club’s transfer strategy. For the last few months, Mudryk’s poor start to life at Stamford Bridge has softened the Emirates faithfuls’ hearts, but missing out on Rice will be another blow to the trust Edu and Arteta have built with them. If Rice moves to City and excels, questions will be asked about why the Gunners didn’t pay what West Ham wanted; the notion is that a straight £100 million bid would have sealed the deal.
What else could Rice’s move to the Etihad signify to you as a Gooner?
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