Robbie Earle has claimed that Declan Rice is worth double the transfer fee Arsenal paid for him over the summer.
The pundit has been speaking on The 2 Robbies Podcast and feels that Declan Rice’s display against Brentford on Saturday has gone under the radar.
Arsenal picked up a 1-0 win at the Gtech Community Stadium after a last-minute winner from Kai Havertz.
The Gunners weren’t at their best going forward as they struggled to break down a resilient Brentford side. But they dominated for large periods of the game and Rice put in yet another commanding display.
Rice has slotted in seamlessly at Arsenal and has added more physicality to Mikel Arteta’s midfield.
The 24-year-old arrived for a hefty fee from West Ham over the summer, with the Gunners paying £105 million to sign him.
Eyebrows were raised at the time as Arsenal smashed the British transfer record to land him. But Robbie Earle has suggested he’s worth double the price now.
Earle claims Rice is worth £210m
Speaking on The 2 Robbies, Earle claimed Rice has transformed the dressing room at Arsenal.
“He was very close to winning my unappreciated performer of the week,” he said. “Declan Rice my friend.
“Declan Rice is a dressing room-changer. He’s that big.”
“To be fair, he is appreciated,” Robbie Mustoe responded.
“He is. But his drive, Rob, to keep going,” Earle said. “He sets up the ball it ends up going wide then it goes into the box.”
Mustoe then suggested that while £105 million was a sizeable fee from Arsenal’s point of view, he feels Arteta’s men certainly won’t regret it.
And then Earle went on: “You’d pay double for him for what he is.”
Rice has excelled under Arteta so far and has arguably been their most consistent performer this season.
The Gunners currently sit top of the table after the win at Brentford, with City dropping points against Liverpool on Saturday.
Arsenal snapped up Rice to help them make advances on lifting a Premier League title and based on the evidence so far, he’s doing exactly what he was signed for.
The Englishman has added some extra bite to the Arsenal midfield and helped them grind out wins while they haven’t been at their best.