Arsenal star told he’s been the ‘player of the season’ so far in Premier League

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Arsenal summer signing Declan Rice has been outstanding since his move from West Ham, and he has helped his side reach the top of the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta’s side have the best defence in the Premier League right now, and Rice has been a huge factor in helping provide more stability to the team from the base of midfield.

Rice joined for a club record fee in the summer, but it is a testament to his strong performances that his fee is hardly ever mentioned, and he settled instantly in both a defensive midfield role as well as a more attacking one at times, and he has chipped in with vital goals against Manchester United and Chelsea.

Declan Rice praised as the Premier League’s best player

Speaking on The 2 Robbies Podcast, broadcaster and former footballer Robbie Earle claimed that 14 games into the season, Rice has been the Premier League’s player of the season.

“You talk about Declan Rice, he’s my halfway player of the season and I did say at the start of the season, he might be up there. He’s been excellent for them,” he stated.

Rice has appeared in every single Premier League game for Arsenal so far, who have suffered just one defeat and are currently top of the table.

Declan Rice’s impact on Arsenal

The loss of Granit Xhaka has impacted Arsenal going forward, but defensively, Rice has helped transform Arsenal’s back line from a strong one to a world-class one.

With Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba in the middle of the park together, there is a near-perfect blend of physicality, technical excellence and intelligence, making it difficult for the opposition to create chances.

Arsenal have been outstanding defensively, and are miles clear of anyone else when it comes to away clean sheets. Rice has been a key factor in this, as sitting ahead of the back four, he helps prevent shots by stopping counter-attacks before they even reach the box.

Rice is also threatening going forward, and often attempts long shots. If he is able to add more goals to his game, then he will have developed into a world-class, and truly complete midfielder, and so far it has been money well spent for Arteta.

Whilst Saliba and Bukayo Saka have also been excellent this season, many Arsenal fans would agree that Rice has been the standout performer for the Gunners in this campaign, and there is plenty more to come from the England star.