Ian Wright has detailed his surprise at Declan Rice becoming the successor to Granit Xhaka at Arsenal since joining last summer.
The England international was signed for a club-record fee with many expecting Rice to become the long-term replacement for Thomas Partey in the defensive midfield role.
With Arsenal also making the surprise signing of Kai Havertz from Chelsea, fans theorised that the Germany international was viewed by Mikel Arteta as the replacement for Xhaka, who joined Bayer Leverkusen.
Ian Wright praises Declan Rice’s new role at Arsenal
Yet speaking on Monday Night Football, Wright has detailed his surprise at Rice actually becoming the player to replace Xhaka, with the 25-year-old thriving in recent games in the left-sided no. 8 role.
With Havertz finding success as a utility man for Arsenal, Rice has been allowed to unlock this new side to his game in the midfield with Jorginho in the holding role, a combination that has worked wonders.
Wright said when asked about Rice’s impact since signing for Arsenal: “With Xhaka going, people thought Havertz was going to be that left-sided no. 8.
“But it’s Declan who’s the one controlling the game. With Kiwior and White inverting and Arsenal going into the three, Declan is able to go forward and get goals.”
Arsenal might now need another midfielder this summer
With Rice finding immense success further up in midfield, questions will soon be raised over who should now play for Arsenal as the defensive-minded anchor-man alongside Martin Odegaard.
Jorginho has impressed and Thomas Partety thrived in the role last year when fit, yet it is clear that neither of these players are viable long-term options for Arsenal heading into the future.
As a result, there’s a good chance that Arsenal could dip their feet back into the transfer market with a big-money midfield signing, with a specialist defensive midfielder potentially needed this summer.
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