Emmanuel Frimpong believes Declan Rice would ‘flourish’ at Arsenal because he would be surrounded by superior players, and he has identified his top three qualities.
West Ham star Declan Rice is Arsenal’s top summer transfer target (Picture: Getty)
Arsenal have made Rice their top summer transfer target and are confident they can sign the West Ham star ahead of Chelsea, who are long-term admirers.
The Hammers are expected to sell Rice at the end of the season with the midfielder unwilling to sign a new contract in east London.
Mikel Arteta is believed to be a ‘huge fan’ of Rice and has already made plans regarding where the England international would fit in his system at Arsenal.
Former Gunner Frimpong believes the 24-year-old would be a fantastic signing for the north London club as he told Midnite: ‘I think Rice is a top, top class player and he proved that in the World Cup [in Qatar].
‘He impressed me more than I thought in the World Cup and he showed me that he had very good technical abilities, good awareness and has good pace to recover when needed.
‘I feel that, in an Arsenal shirt and with better players around him, he will be able to flourish.
‘So we need to get into the Champions League to be able to attract players like Rice. Who wouldn’t want to play in the Champions League in London, for Arsenal?’
🚨 @SkyKaveh: “I think one of the big moves will be Declan Rice, it looks like he will be leaving West Ham in the summer. At the moment, Arsenal are leading the race for his signature.” [Sky] #afc pic.twitter.com/VP6TQUUwNl
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) January 24, 2023
Frimpong also lauded Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko and feels the Ukraine international could have got into the famous Invincible team.
‘I think Zinchenko definitely, for me, Ashley Cole was very good but Zinchenko makes left back look like he is playing in central midfield,’ Frimpong added.
‘I think Zinchenko is an incredible player… I don’t think Thomas Partey is a better player than Patrick Vieira, but I think Partey would have a shout [too].
‘That team was crazy man, they were just on another level. So those two players have definitely got a shout.’
source: metro.co.uk