Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has reportedly made the signing of West Ham skipper Declan Rice one of his top priorities for the summer transfer window.
The Gunners have already had two bids for the England international rejected by West Ham. Their most recent bid for Rice was a guaranteed £75m plus £15m in add-ons. The Hammers want a minimum of £100million for their skipper, who is also wanted by Manchester City.
According to the Daily Mail, Mikel Arteta views Declan Rice as the future captain of Arsenal as he tries to battle Manchester City for the West Ham midfielder.
Manchester City will make an offer for Rice after Pep Guardiola saw skipper Ilkay Gundogan leave the Etihad Stadium on a free transfer after helping them win the historic Treble. But Arsenal will return with a third offer closer to West Ham’s demands. It remains to be seen whether Arsenal can beat Man City to Rice’s signature but, if they do, here’s how they could line up with the English midfielder.
How Arsenal might line up with Declan Rice?
Arsenal, as it stands, remain ahead of Man City in the race to land Rice. In the immediate future, the 24-year-old would form part of the leadership group at Arsenal which currently consists of Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Granit Xhaka.
Xhaka is expected to leave the Gunners for Bayer Leverkusen this summer, while Thomas Partey has agreed a move to Juventus after rejecting offers from Saudi Arabia. So, Rice will immediately become central to the way Arsenal play if a deal goes through.
Given his ability to play as a six or an eight, there are ample options of how Arteta’s side could line up with Rice in their ranks. Now that Kai Havertz is on the verge of joining the Gunners from London rivals Chelsea, Arteta may have to reshuffle his tactics and formation. If Arteta opts to use Havertz and Odegaard as two No.8s, Rice would provide the defensive cover for the duo to roam forward.
In Arteta’s preferred 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 formation which he used in the 2022-23 season, the addition of Rice could see them operate more in a 4-3-3, where the Englishman would be left to screen the defence. That would certainly be a promising engine room for the north London side to enter 2023/24 with, especially with their return to the Champions League after seven-long years.
Rice could replace either Xhaka or Partey in the middle of the park, with Odegaard operating beside him in a double pivot. Luckily, Odegaard has the defensive nous and reading of the game to play in a deeper role, which in turn will give Arsenal’s midfield a more dynamic look. Rice represents an upgrade on Partey and so it is very much possible he would actually get to play his preferred role in Arsenal.
Furthermore, Rice started his West Ham career as a centre-back before evolving himself into a defensive midfielder. In case, Arsenal are suffering with injuries at the back, the 24-year-old could be a reliable option to operate in central defence.
All in all, signing Rice, who is currently among the most in-demand players in the Premier League, would represent a terrific long-term investment for Arsenal.