With Arsenal’s Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka looking likely to leave North London this summer, the Gunners are certain to bring in midfield reinforcements as they aim to improve on their second placed English Premier League finish from the 2022/23 season.
One man heavily linked with a move across London is West Ham United captain Declan Rice, who has been in outstanding form for the Europa Conference League finalists. Today, we take a look at why Rice and Arsenal could be a match made in heaven for both parties.
Young English Core
A lot of Mikel Arteta’s success over the last year as Arsenal boss has been down to his core of young players, many of whom are England internationals. Rice has played with Bukayo Saka, Ben White and Aaron Ramsdale whilst away with the Three Lions and knows the quality that Arsenal’s young core possess – when you add the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba and Martin Ødegaard into the mix, it becomes apparent that this Arsenal team will only get better with time. Arteta’s ability to improve young players will be a key influence if Rice is to make the step up from West Ham to the Gunners, who led the Premier League for most of the season before Manchester City proved too strong.
Big Game Experience and Leadership
At just 24-years-old, Rice has played more than 200 English Premier League matches, captaining the side for the first time aged just 20. Known for his energetic personality both on and off the pitch, the midfielder is a popular character within English football and a natural leader.
Having played in some of both West Ham and England’s biggest games in recent history, Rice never hides and has often put the Hammers on his back when they’ve found themselves under pressure, winning their Player of the Year award in three of the last four seasons. With Arsenal qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in seven years, Rice certainly wouldn’t look out of place playing under the lights against Europe’s best.
Perfect Stylistic Fit
Despite breaking into the West Ham team as a centre-back, Rice has developed into one of the best young all-round midfielders in the world. Capable of playing as a holding midfielder or in a box-to-box role, he has excellent defensive qualities along with an ever-improving passing game that could see him play either just in front of the defence or higher up the pitch in Xhaka’s central midfield role. As seen with his stunning quarter-final goal against Gent, Rice’s athleticism and ball-carrying ability would allow him to take his team up the field in a way that Arsenal fans haven’t seen since Patrick Vieira’s departure – another reason why he is at the top of Arteta’s shopping list.
London Living
Arsenal aren’t the only club after Declan Rice – in recent weeks both Bayern Munich and Manchester United have been linked with his signature. However, despite Bayern and United’s status alongside The Gunners as two of Europe’s premium destinations, Rice may be swayed by the option of staying in London, the city where he was born and has lived his entire life. Rice joined the Chelsea Academy at seven years old before moving onto West Ham, so a move to the Emirates Stadium would allow him to easily move his career forward without any unnecessary stress of moving his entire life with it.
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