Arsenal have reportedly stepped up their interest in signing West Ham skipper Declan Rice in this upcoming summer transfer window and saw their latest £90m offer rejected by the firm decision makers on the Hammers’ board.
The England midfielder, 24, seems set to leave the Hammers in the coming weeks, with a year remaining on his current deal and uncertainty surrounding his future. Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Manchester United have all been heavily linked with a move, with West Ham chairman David Sullivan confirming last week the player will leave.
According to Football London, Arsenal are set to submit a bid for Declan Rice sooner rather than later after he helped West Ham win the UEFA Europa Conference League last week. They have made the West Ham star a top priority as part of a midfield reshuffle from Mikel Arteta.
Rice lifted the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy after the Hammers’ 2-1 win over Fiorentina in Prague last week which is believed to be his last game in a West Ham shirt. Arsenal are leading the race for him and he’s their top target, although they don’t want to get dragged into a bidding war.
Declan Rice to Arsenal—What will he bring to the table?
Arsenal enjoyed a solid 2022/23 season, and despite eventually missing out on the Premier League, Champions League qualification after six years should be seen as a big step towards progress. The north Londoners want to address several areas in the squad, but for now, they are currently focused on reinforcing their midfield unit.
Mikel Arteta relied on Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka in central midfield for the majority part of the past season, but his team struggled when either of them were absent. As a result, the Spanish tactician is keen on having a new central midfielder and has set his sights on West Ham’s Declan Rice.
Rice has been a consistent performer for West Ham over the last few seasons, with his fitness record, leadership skills and quality on and off the ball attracting a lot of attention. He made 37 Premier League appearances during 2022/23, scoring two goals and registering two assists.
The Englishman has already racked up over 200 Premier League appearances at just 24, so there is no doubt that he is now well-experienced to make the step up from West Ham to Arsenal. Primarily a defensive midfielder, he can also operate as an 8 in a double pivot and dictate the flow of games with his passing, energy, tackling and interception skills. The 24-year-old is a technically strong and tactically smart player, making him potentially a perfect fit in Arteta’s system.
There is no doubt that Rice would make Arsenal more solid and robust as, according to WhoScored, he averaged 2.1 tackles, 1.7 interceptions, 0.4 blocks and 1.5 clearances per outing during the 2022/23 Premier League campaign. In addition, he is a leader and a vocal figure on the pitch, so having such a personality in the dressing room should help the Gunners.
The England international would undoubtedly take the Arsenal squad to another level if a deal can be reached.
