Why Declan Rice is a perfect signing for Arsenal

Rice is an exceptional player, especially as a holding midfielder, with impressive statistics. His strengths include his strong endurance, exceptional game reading ability, and his knack for winning possession and advancing the ball. This aligns with the evolving nature of the game.

Previously, central defenders and holding midfielders were primarily valued for their ability to bypass midfield areas with accurate passes while maintaining their defensive positions.

Just look at how Pep Guardiola transformed John Stones at Man City, who now resembles a box-to-box defender, venturing into midfield and carrying the ball deep into the opposition’s territory instead of dropping back and relying on the forward line for link-up play.

Graeme Souness recently complained about Rice’s lack of goals, but if he were with Arsenal, the wide players would gladly support him by dropping inside and supplying him with passes, as we witnessed in the Conference League.

Nonetheless, it’s not necessarily a top priority because we already have Odegaard, who scores 15 goals per season. The beauty of the Arsenal system lies in its flexibility and fluidity.

Rice’s addition would enhance our reliability in pressing opponents outside our defensive third and inject more dynamism into our attacking transitions.

This is why Declan Rice is perfect for Arsenal…

Moggy