Gary Lineker has now outlined the one thing he would like to see from Declan Rice at Arsenal that ‘nobody is expecting’ after their summer transfer with West Ham United.
The Gunners raided their London rivals in July to sign the Irons’ captain in a new club-record transfer. Rice left West Ham after six years as a senior player for £100m, rising to £105m with add-ons. He also agreed to sign a five-year contract to join Arsenal and play for Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal made Rice a priority target as Arteta sought to reinforce his midfield with one of the Premier League’s elite operators. The 24-year-old had established a stellar reputation for his brilliance in a holding role at London Stadium. He had also developed his box-to-box threat.
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Declan Rice’s transfer to Arsenal took the soul out of West Ham
Rice was the heart and soul of David Moyes’ side and even captained West Ham to a Europa Conference League title. He was possibly irreplaceable for the Hammers having been a class above in most games. Rice protected their defence like few other holding midfielders could.
Moyes also afforded Rice the freedom to push forward and reaped the rewards of his bursts up the pitch. But the 43-cap England international left London Stadium having scored just 15 goals and laid on 13 assists. He played 245 times across all competitions in claret-and-blue.
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What does Gary Lineker want to see from Declan Rice?
Lineker has now admitted that he would like to see Rice score more frequently after securing a transfer from West Ham to Arsenal. But the England hero doubts many fans or pundits will expect the 6 ft 2 anchor to offer a regular goal threat no matter how talented he feels Rice is.
“A lot of players who move for big money struggle to cope with their price tag,” Lineker has told The Sun. “But I don’t think that’ll be the case with ex-West Ham skipper, Declan Rice. He is an exceptional player – a holding midfielder but also far more than that.
“Rice is a real leader, who will run all day, a player who can break the lines and make things happen with the ball at his feet. Of course, £105m is a massive fee.
“But he will not have the same pressure as a forward player who moves for big money because they are constantly judged on their scoring record. I’d like to see Rice add more goals to his game but nobody is expecting that of him.”
Arsenal have bet a lot on Rice’s transfer in the hopes that the West Ham product strengthens Arteta’s midfield defensively. The Gunners boss will rely on Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz to offer a goal threat from his engine room. But Rice has proven that he can score a few, too.