"Absolutely not" - Pundit says he wouldn't swap Arsenal superstar for Kylian Mbappe
Former Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur forward Darren Bent claimed that he wouldn't swap Arsenal superstar Declan Rice for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Kylian Mbappe. He made the head-turning claim during talkSPORT's coverage of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
Rice joined Arsenal from West Ham United for a whopping transfer fee of £105 million. However, he has more than justified that price tag, becoming the ideal complement to captain Martin Odegaard in the middle of the park.
The midfielder has made 49 appearances for the Gunners this season, showcasing incredible creativity and finishing prowess apart from his defensive tenacity. He has bagged seven goals and 10 assists and has also played a massive role in the side keeping 17 clean sheets across those games.
Meanwhile, Mbappe is widely regarded as one of the best forwards in world football at the moment. Since his move to PSG in 2017, he has terrorized opposition defences and put up videogame-esque goalscoring numbers.
The Frenchman has netted 255 goals and set up his teammates 108 times in 306 games for the Parisians. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, Mbappe is set to make his highly anticipated move to Real Madrid in the summer.
Although Bent played for the Gunners' bitter rivals Tottenham during his career, he is an avid Arsenal fan and even had a season ticket when the club played at Highbury. He claimed that he wouldn't swap Rice for Mbappe if he was given the chance.
Bent was asked:
“Would you give up Declan [Rice for Mbappe]?”
Bent's answer, quite simply, was:
"No, absolutely not."
"He has taken the club to another level" - Arsenal legend names Declan Rice as the club's Player of the Year
Arsenal icon Ray Parlour has named summer signing Declan Rice as the club's Player of the Year for the 2023-24 campaign.
Parlour, who could play on the right flank as well as in the middle of the park, came through the Gunners' Hale End youth academy and spent fourteen years as a member of the senior team. He made 457 appearances for the club, with 31 goals and 26 assists to his name.
Fondly nicknamed the 'Romford Pele', the former 10-time English international had nothing but praise for Rice, who has arguably been one of Arsenal's best players this season. In an exclusive with TEAMtalk, he said:
"If you look at the signing of Rice, he is exactly what the team needed when Granit Xhaka left and he has taken the club to another level. Declan has been a top signing for Arsenal and it’s great he is still playing at such a high level when it matters most at the business end of the season."
Parlour also claimed that Rice deserved to be nominated for the PFA Player of the Season award, adding:
“He deserves to be up there for PFA Player of the Season. It was a big move for him and he’s settled immediately into this team.”