Arsenal urged to hijack Chelsea swoop for England midfield star Paul Merson has explained why Arsenal would be foolish not to make a bid for West Ham midfielder Declan Rice this summer. The West Ham midfield star has been heavily linked with a move across London to Chelsea, but Merson believes it is another club from the capital where Rice would be best suited. Former Gunners midfielder Merson believes England international Rice is exactly what the current side are missing before they can restore their place among the Premier League elite. “Chelsea have been linked with him, but I don’t know why Arsenal aren’t looking at Declan Rice,” he told Sky Sports. “Arsenal are crying out for a holding midfield player. They don’t need a midfielder who’s going to be on the edge of the opposition box, they need a disciplined defensive midfielder, who is going to sit in front of the back four and organise the side; one who, when he gets the ball, gives it simple with 10-yard passes. “It’s such a hard job and that’s why I can’t believe Arsenal aren’t going in for a player like Rice. “A player like Rice can allow the attacking players to flourish and it gives the central defenders the chance to be better than what they are. “I don’t care who you are in football, Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta and even a Virgil van Dijk, if you’ve got people running at you left, right and centre every minute, they are going to go past you on occasions. “For me, a good holding midfielder is priceless. “Arsenal haven’t really had a disciplined defensive midfielder since Gilberto Silva. Everyone talks about the club never really replacing Patrick Vieira, and of course, but they never replaced Gilberto either. “There are players in the current team that are meant to do that job but they don’t have the discipline to do it, and that needs addressing.” Manchester United have also been linked with Rice, as they continue their policy of targeting promising homegrown players – with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recently deploying a scout to monitor the midfielder. The post Arsenal urged to hijack Chelsea swoop for England midfield star appeared first on teamtalk.com.

Paul Merson has explained why Arsenal would be foolish not to make a bid for West Ham midfielder Declan Rice this summer.

The West Ham midfield star has been heavily linked with a move across London to Chelsea, but Merson believes it is another club from the capital where Rice would be best suited.

Former Gunners midfielder Merson believes England international Rice is exactly what the current side are missing before they can restore their place among the Premier League elite.

“Chelsea have been linked with him, but I don’t know why Arsenal aren’t looking at Declan Rice,” he told Sky Sports.

“Arsenal are crying out for a holding midfield player. They don’t need a midfielder who’s going to be on the edge of the opposition box, they need a disciplined defensive midfielder, who is going to sit in front of the back four and organise the side; one who, when he gets the ball, gives it simple with 10-yard passes.

“It’s such a hard job and that’s why I can’t believe Arsenal aren’t going in for a player like Rice.

“A player like Rice can allow the attacking players to flourish and it gives the central defenders the chance to be better than what they are.

“I don’t care who you are in football, Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta and even a Virgil van Dijk, if you’ve got people running at you left, right and centre every minute, they are going to go past you on occasions.

 

 

“For me, a good holding midfielder is priceless.

“Arsenal haven’t really had a disciplined defensive midfielder since Gilberto Silva. Everyone talks about the club never really replacing Patrick Vieira, and of course, but they never replaced Gilberto either.

“There are players in the current team that are meant to do that job but they don’t have the discipline to do it, and that needs addressing.”

Manchester United have also been linked with Rice, as they continue their policy of targeting promising homegrown players – with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recently deploying a scout to monitor the midfielder.

The post Arsenal urged to hijack Chelsea swoop for England midfield star appeared first on teamtalk.com.

Samuel Bannister