[ad_1]
Arsenal are said to be growing confident of securing a £100m deal for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice.
According to Football Insider, Rice, 24, is expected to leave the Hammers at the end of the season. Manchester City and Chelsea are also interested in the England international but it is the Gunners who are leading the race.
It is understood that Rice would like to stay in his hometown of London. Not only is Arsenal located in London, but they can also offer the midfielder in the UEFA Champions League. This is a competition that the player has indicated that they would like to participate in during their career. He said during the 2022 FIFA World Cup (via the Guardian):
“One hundred percent I want to play in the Champions League. For the last two or three years, I’ve been saying that.”
Rice has been in fine form this season, scoring four goals and providing as many assists in 43 appearances across competitions. He was named captain of West Ham following the retirement of Mark Noble last summer. The former Chelsea academy graduate was also an outstanding performer for England at the FIFA World Cup.
Arsenal appear confident in securing Rice’s signature in what could be an indication of just how far they have come under Mikel Arteta. Signing up to such prestige and finances has eluded North Londoners for some time.
Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger would love to have coached Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted he would like to coach Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian scored twice as Citizens beat Arsenal 4-1 on 26 April.
Wenger trained many great midfielders during his time with North London players including Patrick Vieira, Marc Overmars and Cesc Fàbregas. However, he couldn’t help but praise De Bruyne, telling the Premier League’s official YouTube channel:
“I would say a lot of Arsenal players, but the one who is willing to move into this Hall of Fame, and who has been consistent over the last seven or eight years is De Bruyne.”
Wenger added:
“He was exceptional in efficiency, quality and decisiveness in the big games.”
De Bruyne has been in fantastic form this season, scoring nine goals and providing an astonishing 27 assists in 42 matches. He helped City replace Arsenal at the top of the league with a point and a game in hand.
[ad_2]
