TalkSPORT pundit Darren Bent has delivered his verdict on Arsenal star Declan Rice ahead of England’s game against Belgium.
Rice is an unbelievable footballer. He has pushed Arsenal up a level since he joined them, and he will be key for the Three Lions in the Euros this summer as well.
Gareth Southgate announced on Monday that Rice will captain England against Belgium in Harry Kane‘s absence. That is an extraordinary achievement.
Bent, who is an Arsenal fan, is delighted for Rice.
Darren Bent makes ‘bonkers’ claim about Arsenal star Declan Rice
Arsenal went into last summer’s transfer window with a number of names on their wishlist, but Declan Rice was clearly their number-one target.
The Gunners were locked in negotiations with West Ham for weeks. They even faced a challenge from Manchester City for the Englishman’s signature at one point.
However, Mikel Arteta was desperate to sign Rice, and his side sealed the deal in the end for a club record £105 million last summer (BBC).
Bent, who has watched Rice all season, has been really impressed with the Englishman’s performances, so much so that he has claimed that the £105 million Arsenal paid for him was ‘cheap’.
He said on TalkSPORT: “He is a captain without wearing the armband, that’s for sure. We saw him at West Ham last season as their captain, he was brilliant.
“He has come to Arsenal, even though Odegaard is the captain, the way he has been performing this season… This is going to sound bonkers, it’s almost like £100m is cheap.”
Declan Rice’s position against Manchester City will be interesting
Arsenal take on Manchester City on Sunday in what is arguably the biggest game of the season.
Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola will both be thinking about the tactics for the game, and one of the questions on the Arsenal boss’ mind will be about Declan Rice’s position.
The 25-year-old Englishman has played both as a six and eight this season. He has done an outstanding job in both positions, and we’re sure Guardiola will be wondering what role will be assigned to Rice on Sunday.
It will be interesting to see where Rice will start, but we think he’ll play as an eight again with either Jorginho or Thomas Partey starting in the deeper role.
The post 'This is going to sound bonkers': TalkSPORT pundit makes crazy claim about 25-year-old Arsenal player appeared first on TBR Football.