Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer have both agreed that a Chelsea star has been better than Arsenal’s Declan Rice this season on one factor.
The England international has been a revelation for the Gunners this year with Rice transforming Arsenal’s midfield into one of the best in Europe and already looking like a real bargain for the club despite costing £105m.
A real contender for Arsenal’s Player of the Season, many would agree that Rice has been one of the signings of the year in the Premier League, with the midfielder enjoying his best year ever in terms of goal contributions.
Yet Lineker and Shearer think one other player has been just as good.
Cole Palmer named a better signing than Arsenal’s swoop for Rice
Speaking on the Rest is Football, the two pundits agreed that Chelsea’s move for Cole Palmer has been better than Rice’s switch to Arsenal, based on the one factor that the youngster cost less than the 25-year-old.
Shearer said when asked who his two candidates for Premier League signing of the season have been:: “The outstanding two for me have been Palmer and Rice.”
READ MORE: Everything to know on Arsenal’s Declan Rice from his girlfriend to height
Lineker replied: “Those are the two I came down to, but I’m going to go with Palmer because Rice was £105m, so to say signing of the season, you expect to get something a bit special out of £105m, and they have got something special. But Cole Palmer, £42.5m, has been so staggeringly good.”
The former Newcastle United striker added: “I agree with you, I’m going to say Palmer as well.”
Rice and Palmer have had two different impacts on their new clubs
Palmer has clearly been one of the breakout players in the Premier League this season, with the Chelsea attacking midfielder arguably the sole reason the Blues qualified for Europe and didn’t end the year in the bottom-half of the table, again.
Yet when comparing Rice and Palmer, it’s clear that the two players have had different impacts on Arsenal and Chelsea respectively, with the pair also at different points in their careers.
As we know, Rice is a world-class midfielder who was signed to take Arsenal to the next level, whilst Palmer was a punt that turned out better than expected for Chelsea, with the duo now set for amazing spells with their respective London clubs.