Declan Rice Transfer: Premier League: West Ham United captain Declan Rice has risen tremendously in recent seasons, with numerous European giants linked for the England international. Premier League clubs such as Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United have continuously expressed interest in signing the midfielder. According to reports, Arsenal are currently leading the race in signing Rice, and Gunners legend and pundit Ray Parlour has fueled the rumours after claiming that Rice will ‘definitely’ be playing for Mikel Arteta’s side next season. Follow Premier League News Updates on InsideSport.IN.
Ray Parlour on Declan Rice: “He’ll be at Arsenal next year! He’s definitely going to be at Arsenal next year.” [@SeamanPodcast] pic.twitter.com/Dkm6O0yhhf
— Gunners (@Gunnersc0m) April 25, 2023
Parlour, who played for Arsenal from 1992-2004, won the Premier League on three occasions with the club and is now a pundit. The former midfielder was speaking with former Arsenal teammate David Seaman’s podcast, talking about Declan Rice, where he declared, ‘He’ll be at Arsenal next year! He’s definitely going to be at Arsenal next year’
Rice is a highly sought-after player because he routinely produces at a high level for West Ham and England. Many elite clubs, like Arsenal, find him to be an appealing choice because of his versatility and defensive strength.
The 24-year-old already a leader has played a crucial role to steady West Ham’s sinking ship to steer his side clear of the relegation zone. He scored back-to-back games across competitions, playing an instrumental role in the Hammers’ run at Europe, having progressed in the semis of the Europa Conference League.
However, Parlour did highlight a few areas where Rice needs to improve, as previously talking to The Sun, he said, ‘Sometimes you have to get forward a little bit more because I always think [with] holding midfielders, there will be occasions in a game where you do get past your other midfielder and it’s just a bit of common sense for me that the other midfielder fills in for you.’
‘That’s what I used to do when we played for Arsenal because, you know, not everybody’s got a set position at times. You’ll see yourself in a different part of the pitch.’
‘That’s where the other team-mates have got to say, ‘Right, he’s out of position there but we fill in for him and then there’s no problem’. So I think Declan Rice definitely can get forward a little bit more.’
‘At any team he goes into he would make them stronger, so if Arsenal have got a chance to maybe buy Declan Rice, especially if they can win the league this year, that would be a fantastic signing.’
Mikel Arteta looking to bolster his team in the middle of the park for next season, as the club prepares to feature in the Champions League for the first time since the 2016/17 season, which definitely appeals to Rice. However, all this depends on whether West Ham sells the England star, for which the Hammers are asking for around £100 million.
But all being said, recent remarks on Rice by the Gunners legend will only heighten the Arsenal fans, whose desire to see the defensive midfielder at Emirates is no secret.
