Arsenal paid £105 million for Declan Rice, a transfer many will be keen on to see how it impacts Arteta’s project. So far, so good. Rice has been decent; he’s done what he was brought to do. The Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson, speaking to the Irish Examiner before the Palace versus Arsenal match, couldn’t help but rave about what a complete midfielder Declan Rice is, noting that he can not only be an asset defensively but also in the attacking sense.
Hodgson said on the official Palace website: “(Rice) has got strength; he’s got energy; he understands the game very well. He gets from box to box, and when he’s in each of the boxes, he does a really good job. He knows how to defend, and he also has an eye for goal, so really, he’s the type of player that every person is looking for.”
Hodgson went on to claim that Arsenal No. 14 keeps on growing from strength to strength and that for years to come, you won’t talk of midfielders doing a superb job and not mention Rice among the top of that list, even with the Bellingham of these worlds in the picture.
The Palace boss added, “He’s [Rice] done his apprenticeship really, coming through the ranks.
“He’s done his years at West Ham, each year getting better, and in the end, becomes an international, and clubs are, ‘Who can I get who’s the best at his particular job for this role?’
“Declan Rice’s name is always going to be right up there on the top of the list, as was Bellingham, of course, at Real Madrid.”
Rice could be the missing link between Arsenal and lifting the league, and in no time, that may be clear.
Maybe we’ll find out tonight.
Sam P
JustArsenal Show – NEO discusses Arteta’s tactical set up for Crystal Palace v Arsenal
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Declan Rice was immense at Selhurst park, he’s the man of the match for me.
The former West Ham man played as an all action box to box midfielder against a difficult organized Roy Hodgson side.
Roger that