"Would make the impact that Alisson and Van Dijk made at Liverpool" - Pundit claims PL star could transform Arsenal if he joins them
Former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino claims that West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice could have a hugely positive impact at Arsenal.
The former striker claimed that Rice could have an effect with the Gunners similar to that of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson at Liverpool.
Speaking on the Weekend Sports Breakfast show, he said:
“If you look at Arsenal, since Arteta came in December 2019, that season they got 56 points. He hadn’t played a part earlier in the season, the next season they got 61, the next season they got 69. And last year they got 84, so there’s a real upward curve at Arsenal."
He added:
“Declan Rice would make the impact that Alisson and Van Dijk made at Liverpool by coming.”
Van Dijk and Alisson's arrival in 2018 played a pivotal role in Liverpool's success in recent years. The Reds won the Premier League (2020) and the UEFA Champions League (2019) with the two playing key roles in both campaigns.
Cascarino went on to claim that Rice should refrain from a move to Manchester City. He believes that the midfielder is not guaranteed regular starts with Pep Guardiola's side.
He said:
The Marseille cult hero remarked: “It’s an easy choice – Man City is an easy choice as in they could easily win the double next year and maybe more. That’s the thing you’ve got to really consider, but how big a part do you really play in that if you go to Manchester City?"
He added:
“Because it’s not impossible that they could spend £100m and he could be a bit-part player at Man City. Some people might laugh at that, well that’s exactly the first season of Jack Grealish. I do think there is a very high possibility that he won’t play as much football as he would like.”
Arsenal and Manchester City are expected to launch bids for the West Ham United skipper. The Gunners have already had two bids rejected, with talkSPORT claiming that they could soon launch a third bid in the region of £100 million.
Arsenal hopeful of completing deal for Ajax defender
Arsenal are close to reaching an agreement for Ajax defender Jurrien Timber. According to 90min, the Gunners are confident that they can reach an agreement with the Dutch side to sign the 22-year-old.
Mikel Arteta's side have identified Timber as a player similar to fullback Oleksandr Zinchenko. The Dutchman has the ability to play both as a center-back and as a right-back.
They launched an initial bid of €35 million which was rejected as Ajax value the player at close to €60 million. The Gunners, however, are looking to bring the price tag below €50 million.
Timber has made 121 appearances for Ajax, contributing six goals and four assists.