✍️ OFFICIAL Declan Rice

[Blood on the Tracks]

The best thing about Rice will be how he opens the side up to being much more tactically flexible.

Xhaka had a very good season for us at 8 but part of the reason he was moved there was cover for some of his limitations, mobility, tackling, pace etc. That did limit us somewhat tactically.

It worked well but with Rice you're not playing him there to ( partially) cover for weaknesses in his game and you always have the option of playing him as a 6 because his workrate, defensive positioning, tackling are top notch.

A lot of our poor performances this season have been when Xhaka and Partey got overwhelmed / swamped in the centre of the park. They were a great partnership usually but at times they got overrun / outcompeted physically. That's not happening with Rice in there.

I'm convinced a lot of the criticism Rice gets is aesthetics based, he looks awkward at times but he's a very effective player and he's not a limited player technically, he's basically everything you'd want in a modern CM and I think that's backed up buy us, Man Utd, Bayern etc being interested in him at a valuation of around £100m.

Maybe people think Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea are falling for the English hype, but Bayern certainly aren't.

 

[Hunta]

Edu losing out on both Rice and Caicedo is a bit funny.

Too busy funnelling money back to Brazil for ****e like Marquinhos I guess.

 

[ArsenalInMyHeart]

£90m + add-ons is ok

 

[Sanchez11]

Its 82+ addons

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

if there a truth about us making 90M bid after their final then it shouldn't take long to get deal quick. not sure even if other teams join will be stupid and bid more when westham asking for 100M.

 

[<<reed>>]

if there a truth about us making 90M bid after their final then it shouldn't take long to get deal quick. not sure even if other teams join will be stupid and bid more when westham asking for 100M.

Edu will spend 3 weeks trying to get a discount and end up paying the full price as always

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

Edu will spend 3 weeks trying to get a discount and end up paying the full price as always

i hope he don't do that just get this done already we have more things to do.

 

[Burrata]

Opening bid 90M£, seems very good for us.

 

[El Duderino]

This is going to end up with him going to Bayern and Caicedo going to Chelsea somehow, innit

 

[Hunta]

Think he’ll end up at United, they’re up to something signing Mount and West Ham are interested in a couple of their players.

Also looks good putting Arsenal and Bayern in their place.

 

[GoonerJeeves]

This is going to end up with him going to Bayern and Caicedo going to Chelsea somehow, innit

Don't you start getting pessimistic and go Doomsday Dan on us...that is the prerogative of the Nordic contigent on here. We got the bleak and noir sorted.

Finnish TV drama in my day ended with with a middleaged woman crying, the man hanging by a rope in the barn and the dialogue: "God has fetched Jussi with a lasso". All in black and white with somber modernist classical music by someone like Einojuhani Rautavaara.

What chance do we have if Samba Brazilians start to go fatalist? Rice is on his way.

 

[Rasmi]

This is going to end up with him going to Bayern and Caicedo going to Chelsea somehow, innit

If that happens Edu has to go. No two ways about it. From feeding media we want both to not getting either is sackable offence.

 

[Burrata]

If that happens Edu has to go. No two ways about it. From feeding media we want both to not getting either is sackable offence.

It's not Edu who decides to increase or not the offer, he have a budget. If the seller asks way more, he can't offer more that what he have

 

[Rasmi]

It's not Edu who decides to increase or not the offer, he have a budget. If the seller asks way more, he can't offer more that what he have

Then he walks to next target. Edu has shown himself to be slow as hell and drag things out. You make real offer, once you hit your valuation and they refuse you walk away

 

[lomekian]

Yeah. Everytime I think of the cons about signing Rice I think about that game. I wouldn't mind that in our midfield at all!

Do think it's much closer between him and Xhaka though, it's interesting to note that as the team has improved, Xhaka has looked a hell of a lot better and actually didn't look out of place with the rising qualities and demands of the team. Think it suggests he was a better player than we collectively gave him credit all along.

Yup. Always felt that Xhaka was a CL quality player, but wasn't sure if we'd ever work out how best to use him given the rest of the squad composition. Its why I was so excited about Partey - someone who could do lots of the things Xhaka is comparatively poor at, but not as good at Xhaka at the things the Swiss is best at. Not going to pretend I say this latest evolution coming, but they were quality double pivot last year when both were fit. That said, Rice is more of a hybrid of the two - not as good at the things that either is best at, but elite at what he is best at, and able to offer a bit of what each do. Not necessarily a big step up in quality, but a) gives us a lot more flexibility in terms of roles and areas for team-mates, and b) his best attributes are those we sorely lack.

 

[MikelHadADream]

Yup. Always felt that Xhaka was a CL quality player, but wasn't sure if we'd ever work out how best to use him given the rest of the squad composition. Its why I was so excited about Partey - someone who could do lots of the things Xhaka is comparatively poor at, but not as good at Xhaka at the things the Swiss is best at. Not going to pretend I say this latest evolution coming, but they were quality double pivot last year when both were fit. That said, Rice is more of a hybrid of the two - not as good at the things that either is best at, but elite at what he is best at, and able to offer a bit of what each do. Not necessarily a big step up in quality, but a) gives us a lot more flexibility in terms of roles and areas for team-mates, and b) his best attributes are those we sorely lack.

To be fair Rice is miles better defensively than the pair, also a superior athlete.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

Few reports say manutd wont be able to afford Rice if they spent heavily on Mount.

My only fear is man city even if utd want him he'd still come here

 

[Hunta]

Few reports say manutd wont be able to afford Rice if they spent heavily on Mount.

My only fear is man city even if utd want him he'd still come here

United can spend more than anybody if they want. Last summer they were saying they didn’t have the money and they went and spent £250m.

 

[A_G]

United can spend more than anybody if they want. Last summer they were saying they didn’t have the money and they went and spent £250m.

They have to worry about FFP because the dropped out of the CL.

 

[Hunta]

They have to worry about FFP because the dropped out of the CL.

They’re in the CL? Their revenue means it doesn’t mean anything anyway. ETH will make sure he’s spending loads.