West Ham midfielder Declan Rice could be the man to solve Arsenal’s problems, after Paul Merson encouraged the club to make a move for the England international, as reports Standard Sport.
Mikel Arteta has made clear his desire to sign two midfielders this summer, one of which would be a box-to-box player, as he looks to bolster his midfield options.
The 21-year old has started every game in the Premier League for West Ham this season, and while the club haven’t been at their best, hovering just above the relegation zone, WhoScored ranks Rice as the their fourth-best performing player.
Since bursting onto the scene with the Hammers in the 2017/18 season, Rice has been targeted by a number of clubs, and now Merson believes Arsenal should line up an offer.
Talking on Sky Sports, as transcribed by Standard Sport, Merson said:
Chelsea have been linked with him, but I don’t know why Arsenal aren’t looking at Declan Rice. Arsenal are crying out for a holding midfield player.
They don’t need a midfielder who’s going to be on the edge of the opposition box, they need a disciplined defensive midfielder, who is going to sit in front of the back four and organise the side; one who, when he gets the ball, gives it simple with 10-yard passes.
It’s such a hard job and that’s why I can’t believe Arsenal aren’t going in for a player like Rice.
A player like Rice can allow the attacking players to flourish and it gives the central defenders the chance to be better than what they are.
Merson’s claim certainly isn’t baseless, with the former Ireland international having demonstrated this season that he has the talent to impress in Arteta’s squad, and that he has the statistics to back that up.
Defensively, Rice has averaged more tackles per game (3) and more interceptions per game (2.1) than the entirety of Arsenal’s squad, not just their midfield group.
Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi are the best defensive midfield options currently available to Arsenal, although both are more naturally suited to carrying the ball forward, which is reflected in them both possessing better passing based stats than Rice.
However, with Arteta’s needing a naturally defensive player who can shield his backline, it is clear to see how Rice could be an improvement on the options he currently has at his disposal.
