Arsenal were gutted to lose out on their biggest transfer target Mykhaylo Mudryk this month, after Chelsea hijacked the Shakhtar winger in a £88m deal. The Gunners had invested a month-long’s time in negotiations for the highly-rated youngster, only for Shakhtar to hold out on their £88m evaluation and the north London outfit to back-off. Chelsea made in a swoop in by putting their money where their mouth is and snatched Mudryk, who rather fancied a move to Arsenal.
The hit and miss did send tremors down the Emirates, but Arsenal have kept their calm. And while they are now searching for alternatives, the Gunners have already marked their next major transfer target in West Ham’s Declan Rice. Arsenal are short on a midfield depth and are looking for a long term solution. However, talkSPORT pundits Simon Jordan feels Arsenal could again miss out on their main-man, this time to Manchester United.
‘I don’t think he’ll end up at Arsenal’ – Jordan ‘suspects’ Rice will snub Gunners for Devils
Arsenal’s midfield is currently a two-wheeler bicycle, which is run by Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey. However, they have suffered whenever either of these two, especially Partey has been missing in the middle of the park. Manager Mikel Arteta has picked on this issue and wants a proper backup for the former Atletico Madrid midfielder. But with Rice available on the market, Arsenal fee they can do one better and right away bring in the England international’s as Partey’s heir.
Rice will be entering his final 12 months of West Ham contract at the end of this season, and already expressed his desire to leave the club for a bigger opportunity, mainly playing in the Champions League. The Gunners at the moment are challenging for the title as they sit atop of the Premier League, and by the looks of it, they are guaranteed a return to the Europe’s elite competitions next season.
Inside reports also claim that Arsenal have also kept ready an amount in the range of £80m-£100m for Rice as West Ham are willing to part ways with their captain in the summer for a fee in the same range. However, Simon Jordan feels Arsenal’s plot will be once again served with an anti-climax as the pundit believes Manchester United will fly away with Rice. Jordan told talkSPORT:
“I don’t think he [Declan Rice] will end up at Arsenal. I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that if Manchester United continue to progress and can knock on the door of something significant this season [they can sign Rice]. I’m surprised they are doing it as quickly as they are doing it, I think it’s also to do with the fact we’ve got a slightly strange season on our hands where other clubs are underperforming who we didn’t think would.
“Namely Liverpool, Man City have hit a slight funk which has surprised people. I wouldn’t be surprised if United do something this season, win a cup, perform decently in Europe or finish high up in the Premier League, he [Rice] could occupy a quarterback role at Manchester United.”
Rice fits in perfectly with Arsenal’s recently adapted recruitment policy, where the Gunners are focusing mainly on players well below the age of 30. Arteta wants a team full of youngsters whom he then wants to develop into ‘big players’. The likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba, Martin Odegaard are a testament to Arteta and Arsenal’s policy. However, the race for Rice is going to be a fiercely contested one and the Gunners will need more than promises to win that.