Ex-Spurs ace now admits one 24-year-old Arsenal star was ‘tremendous’ v Wolves

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Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara has heaped praise on Arsenal star Declan Rice. 

Declan Rice was excellent during Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Wolves on Saturday. After his performance, Mikel Arteta was quick to laud the midfielder for his dominant display.

As Arsenal’s attacking influence waned after the break, Wolves became more of a threat in the second half at the Emirates Stadium. Rice, however, was on hand to ensure that the visitors were never able to sustain any intense pressure on the Arsenal defence.

When the Gunners conceded late on, the former West Ham United man protected the back four and was there to make sure that Wolves never got a chance to level the score.

After the match, even Wolves boss Gary O’Neil spoke out publicly about how tough it was for his team coming up against Rice. 

The 24-year-old has been consistently delivering such impressive performances all season. Since his arrival at the Emirates Stadium, the England star has quickly established himself as a crucial player in Arteta’s regular starting XI, and has rapidly made himself a fan favourite in north London.

Jamie O’Hara was blown away by how good Rice was against Wolves. Speaking on talkSPORT (02/12/2023, 18:10), the pundit said, “how good was he today? He was tremendous.”

Declan Rice set to shine for Arsenal for years to come

Rice represents the long-term future of the Arsenal midfield. All of Thomas Partey, Jorginho, and Mohamed Elneny could well move on from the club at the end of the current season. Partey has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, Jorginho is keen to return to Italy at some stage, and Elneny is very much on the fringes of the squad and clearly isn’t in Arteta’s plans. 

Arsenal are currently on the hunt for new midfield acquisitions, with a number of potential targets under consideration. Rice, though, will surely be a lynchpin for the Gunners in the middle of the park for years to come. Arteta even believes that he is likely to captain the north London club at some point in the future. 

The player is certainly central to the Gunners’ hopes for success this season. It is vital that he is able to stay fit and in form throughout the campaign, especially as Partey is seemingly perennially injured at this stage in his career.

Arteta will have to manage Rice’s workload carefully this season, taking the opportunity to rest him whenever he can, so that he is firing on all cylinders when the biggest matches of the season roll around.