Garth Crooks has given his verdict on Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice after watching him in action against Brentford.
The former Tottenham Hotspur forward believes that Rice is now as influential as Arsenal attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard was last season.
So, what has Garth Crooks said about Arsenal and England international midfielder Declan Rice? Let’s take a look.
What’s the story?
Well, Arsenal won against Brentford away from home in the Premier League this past weekend.
Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the match in the 89th minute. Arsenal are now at the top of the league table.
While Arsenal were not at their very best with the likes of Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli struggling to make an impact, one player who stood out for the North London club was Declan Rice.
Rice has been a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the park for Arsenal this season.
The 24-year-old has been superb for the Gunners since his move from West Ham United in the summer transfer window.
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Former Tottenham Hotspur forward Garth Crooks has included Rice in his Premier League Team of the Week for BBC Sport.
The pundit has noted how influential Rice is and has outlined how he helped out Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale against Brentford.
Crooks told BBC Sport about Rice: “Mikel Arteta can whittle on all he likes about keeping a clean sheet and the professionalism of his team’s performance against Brentford but Arsenal got away with this win.
“The way Declan Rice spotted that Aaron Ramsdale was in some difficulty, got behind his goalkeeper and positioned himself perfectly to clear the ball off the line was pure genius.
“Rice is proving to be as influential as Martin Odegaard proved to be for the Gunners last season. The win takes Arsenal to the top of the table and they now have a decent run of games before they face Villa and Liverpool away and Brighton at home. None of which will be straightforward but if they can remain top going into the new year anything is possible.”
Declan Rice will become world class at Arsenal
I believe that Declan Rice is going to become world class for Arsenal. I think that the midfielder is on his way to ‘elite’ level.
We already know that Rice is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. That City manager Pep Guardiola wanted to sign him in the summer of 2023 says a lot about how he is seen in the footballing community.
If Rice does well in the UEFA Champions League for two or three seasons, then we have to describe him as ‘world class’.