If there is one certainty this season, it is that Mikel Arteta will acquire a midfielder.
There’s no rule against signing a midfielder this winter, but if not, we can expect Arsenal’s main signing this summer to be a midfielder.
Declan Rice has already been branded as Arteta’s ideal midfield transfer target. A move for the West Ham man could be everything most Gooners desire, but there are two potential stumbling blocks.
For one, Chelsea’s long-term interest in Rice, as seen in the Mykhailo Mudryk deal, may make the deal difficult. The Blues may be eager to beat the Gunners in their move to sign Rice.
However, the second hurdle that Arsenal would have had to overcome to convince Rice to join them—qualifying for Champions League football—may be key for them to beat Chelsea to the 23-year-old’s signature.
It would be unthinkable for Arsenal not to qualify for the Champions League next season, given that everything indicates that Champions League football will return to the Emirates.
Chelsea, on the other hand, will have to do something miraculous to qualify for Champions League football, given their struggles this season. Rice wants to play in the Champions League, and that is exactly how Arsenal will get him.
“One hundred percent, I want to play in the Champions League,” Rice said last month as reported by Sky Sports.
“For the last two or three years, I’ve been saying that. I’ve been playing consistently well for my club, and I feel like I really want to keep pushing.
“I see my friends here who are playing Champions League and for big trophies. You only get one career, and at the end, you want to look back at what you’ve won and the biggest games you’ve played in.”
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