Declan Rice has greatly strengthened Arsenal’s team, making him my pick for the best signing of the season. Moving from West Ham, a club with ambitions of breaking into the top six, to a team competing in the Champions League and for Premier League titles, brings a whole new level of pressure. However, Rice has fearlessly handled the increased scrutiny and the weight of a £100 million price tag.
Rice has successfully adjusted his style of play to fit Arsenal’s tactics. While at West Ham, his main focus was on defensive duties, but at Arsenal, where possession is key, he has shown his ability on the ball and provided forward passes. He has even scored important goals on occasion. His seamless transition has been truly remarkable.
The performances of the England midfielder have been exceptional, making him the standout player for Arsenal. This is especially impressive considering the quality that already exists within Mikel Arteta’s squad.
With Thomas Partey out due to injury, Rice has mostly played as Arsenal’s deepest midfielder. However, in a recent match against Liverpool, when Jorginho joined the midfield, Rice had the opportunity to showcase his skills by pressing higher up the pitch. Liverpool struggled to deal with his athleticism throughout the game.
The 25-year-old will return to the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon, where he previously faced criticism from some West Ham fans during the Carabao Cup clash earlier this season.
Rice could potentially face his England teammate Kalvin Phillips. Phillips has had a difficult start to his time as a West Ham player, making a couple of mistakes that led to goals.
One thing to watch out for on Sunday is the midfield battle between these two players. Why? Because the on-loan Manchester City midfielder is seen as the replacement for Declan Rice. It will be interesting to see which England international comes out on top in the middle of the park.
A victory for Arsenal would bring them level on 52 points with Manchester City, and two points behind league leaders Liverpool.
The Hammers have their sights set on a top-six finish this season, and a win over Arsenal would put them on 39 points, temporarily one point ahead of Manchester United, who will host Aston Villa in the late Sunday afternoon kick-off.
According to the Source caughtoffside.com