Arsenal signed Declan Rice from West Ham United in the summer transfer window for a mammoth £105 million fee.
Declan Rice has already proven to be a huge hit for Arsenal since he joined them from West Ham, and he recently thanked the London Stadium faithful after returning to East London with the Gunners earlier this month.
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The 24-year-old has played a key role for Mikel Arteta’s side since swapping East London for the north side of the capital.
However, has he improved greatly or changed as a player since leaving West Ham? I genuinely don’t think he has. He was an 8/10 player at least every single week when playing for the Hammers under David Moyes.
The England international is just getting more attention now due to the fact that he’s playing for a top four club.
However, Dec believes that he’s changed slightly as a player since his summer move to the Emirates…
Declan Rice makes Arsenal admission after West Ham exit
The powerful midfielder has been speaking to reporters whilst away on international duty with England.
And Rice suggested that he is playing a slightly more attacking role now for Arsenal than he ever did with West Ham before, as quoted by the Mirror:
“The main one with me at Arsenal is I’m playing in a slightly different role. There’s a lot of talk over whether I can play higher up the pitch as well. I’m kind of new to it in a way. At Arsenal, we probably see a lot more of the ball so it’s about being a bit more aggressive.”
Whilst Rice has definitely proven to be a superb signing for Arsenal, I’m not sure what he’s saying is correct there.
At the start of the 2021/22 season, Moyes swapped Dec’s position and made him the more advanced central midfielder, with Tomas Soucek playing the defensive role – an experiment that failed badly.
Declan Rice got forward plenty for West Ham in my opinion, just like he is doing now for Arsenal. The only real difference I have noticed in his game is that he’s moving the ball around quicker, rather than dawdling in possession like he did at times with the Hammers.
At the end of the day, Rice is one of the best defensive midfielders in world football. And I’m sure when the dust settles, that’s exactly the position he’ll play for Arsenal and England over the course of the next decade or so.
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