Rice or No Rice

All the talk in mainstream media is about our interest in Declan Rice. In typical fashion, Arsenal fans have latched on to this transfer and have decided that this is the one thing that will determine their happiness or sadness.

Last season it was Murdryk in the January transfer window that caused a lot of sadness and while Trossard has proven to be vastly superior, there's still a section of fans calling for Edu's head. That section of the fanbase are what we call "special" but some may prefer to call them braindead, retarded or a couple of other endearments along those lines.

Adding Declan Rice to our squad will be very refreshing as it is more of a statement signing than anything. However, acting like Declan Rice is this once in a generation midfielder is what I will not have.

Rice is a very good footballer on his day. He has the ability to glide past challenges and doesn't fear getting stuck in as well.

His best attributes includes his engine that makes him a tireless worker, pleasant injury history and link up play. At Arsenal, he'd be playing alongside numerous technically gifted and young players that will raise his level as well.

The issue is, Rice has this abilities but it's not peculiar to him. I'd admit that one thing that works in his favour is his versatility, seeing as he can be a lone 6 or do the Xhaka role but again, that's not exactly unique.

Being versatile isn't always a desirable trait. For one, it means you're not a master of any and your weaknesses will be exposed on a bad day. For example, we saw how Zinchenko's inverted role meant his defensive weaknesses was exposed numerous times.

The point is, while we want Rice, fans should not be under the illusion that we can't get decent midfielders into the team. We can and if West Ham continue to play hardball, despite rumours that Rice wants Arsenal, we should avoid spending through our noses and chase after other targets.

Other Options

For Arsenal, it's not too much about the individual but moreso about how the individual thrives in the system. What we need are technically gifted players with decent ball control that can function as box to box midfielders.

As much as Rice has excelled at West Ham, I could think of someone like Palinha at Fulham and Bruno Guimares at Newcastle that are also top quality midfielders that can easily fulfil the requirements.

Palinha seems like the higher likely player to sign but the Cottagers will probably place a premium on his head as well. So, the only option is to look outside the league.

If you're bringing someone from outside the league, I'd prefer we go for a more mature and proven practitioner like Milinkovic-Savic at Lazio. There's also no reason why we can't test Bayern's resolve with a bid for Gravenberch.

Athletico Madrid's Rodrigo De Paul is another interesting option for that role but he would have to reinvent himself. I can see him thriving at Arsenal, effortlessly.

The Declan Rice deal is taking an unnecessary turn and West Ham are intentionally being difficult to force a bidding war. Man City have entered the fray and while they haven't bid, they're making formal contact.

If this deal continues to linger on, it would be wise for Arsenal to pull out, strengthen our defence with Timber and Lavia, then go for someone else to fill that role. Till we meet again, up the Arsenal.