Rio Ferdinand, the former Manchester United defender, has issued a warning to Declan Rice, the imminent new Arsenal signing, stating that he will need to elevate his performance and meet a higher standard than he did at West Ham.
Arsenal secured Rice’s signature, subject to his medical, after an extended pursuit throughout the summer transfer window. The Gunners have invested a significant fee to acquire the midfielder and now await his contributions to justify the hefty price tag.
Rice is widely regarded as one of the Premier League’s finest players and arguably the standout performer at West Ham, which explains why Arsenal broke their transfer record to secure his services.
However, Ferdinand suggests that when Rice joins Arsenal, he will be surrounded by teammates who are potentially superior to him, and therefore he must raise his game to match the level of his new colleagues.
The Manchester United legend said on his YouTube channel:
‘Declan Rice will have loved it at West Ham, what a way to sign off. But the difference is that he’s going to be joining a team that are going to be challenging for the league. All the big trophies that they’re in for they’re going to be trying to win those things, it’s not about just competing.’
‘And I think that’s going to be a difference. What we need to see now is, can he step up that level? Can he go up to that level and the expectation now which is different, the demands on him which are different. More is going to be asked of him maybe in an Arsenal shirt than what he was doing at West Ham.’
Just Arsenal Opinion
Rice is getting into new territory, but he is one of the finest players in England and did well at the last World Cup for his country, so we expect him to deliver top performances for us.
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
