Bukayo Saka is viewed by many as Arsenal’s most important player.
The Englishman has been a regular in the first team since he was a teenager, and he has carried the club on his back over the years.
Saka is definitely the face of Mikel Arteta’s project. Without him, Arsenal have struggled in the past – we all saw that when he was out injured last season.
However, Danny Murphy thinks another player is more important than the Gunners’ number seven – Declan Rice.
Danny Murphy says Declan Rice is more important to Arsenal than Bukayo Saka
Rice is in his third year as an Arsenal player, and he has improved a lot.
The midfielder was already one of the best in the Premier League when he joined the Gunners, but he is now comfortably among the top midfielders in the world.
Just like Bukayo Saka, Rice is a regular for both club and country, and he is extremely important for the two teams in every competitive game.
Most Arsenal fans will pick their number seven as the most important player, but Murphy believes Rice deserves that title.
Here’s how his conversation with Andy Goldstein on talkSPORT went:
Goldstein: “Is he (Saka) Arsenal’s most important player?
Murphy: “No! He is very important.
Goldstein: “Would you put Rice ahead of him?
Murphy: “Yeah!”
Murphy further added: “Saka is really important, but Rice is the one because they’ve got nobody else like him. They’ve got other good midfielders, but they’ve got no one like Rice.”
There’s one reason why Bukayo Saka is not Arsenal’s most important player anymore
Saka is still a very important player for Arsenal, but Murphy is right, he is not at the top of the list anymore.
That’s not because the Englishman’s level has dropped or anything like that; it is due to the arrival of Noni Madueke from Chelsea.
When Saka spent a spell on the sidelines due to injury earlier this season, Madueke stepped in and performed brilliantly.
The over-reliance on the Hale End graduate has finally ended, but Rice has made himself irreplaceable in the middle of the park.
That is why he is Arsenal’s most important player right now, and we think Martin Zubimendi is right up there with him in that regard.
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