Why Declan Rice transfer fee is worth it for Arsenal – Amydz88

For a midfielder, such a high transfer fee is bound to attract criticism, so it is necessary to take a closer look at the reasons behind Arsenal making such a transfer. Just as we managed to propel City to the Premier League title last season, this squad was not formed haphazardly and Mikel Arteta and Maurice Edu did not gamble unnecessarily in the transfer market.

So let’s explain why Arsenal’s £100m upfront transfer fee for Declan Rice is a worthwhile investment as they look to return to the top of European football in 2023 and beyond.

necessary skills

First, it is vital to discuss Arsenal’s line-up building. Every decision Mikel Arteta and Maurice Edu have made in the market is in line with the manager’s vision. Every player the Gunners sign should fit the team in terms of style of play, mentality and tactical role.

Arsenal have a leader with a great character in terms of goalscoring, a skilled left-back who can play as a midfielder, a defensive right-back who gives more freedom to the forwards, two of the Premier League’s best The centre-back, an all-around striker, helped put the world-class young wingers into better scoring positions, while the young captain acted as a playmaker.

However, there is a lack of a midfielder who can really dominate the team. With Thomas Partey linked to Saudi Arabia and Juventus, Granit Xhaka ready for a return to the Bundesliga and Jorginho performing veteran duties on the bench, Arsenal are looking for a player A true world-class number six.

Arsenal need to sign someone who can effectively win possession without sacrificing position. They need to sign a midfielder with physical quality and intelligence to effectively check and balance Manchester City’s superstar Rodri. In addition, they need to sign someone who is willing to be braver than Thomas, someone who can pick more improved passes and better lead teammates into better positions in the offensive third.

Declan Rice is the only possible signing for Arsenal who could make them better and tick every option that matters. Without him, Arsenal will be forced to look for sub-optimal options. They spent £100m on Rice, but they could end up spending the same money on two inferior players with no benefit to the potential future return on investment.

anchors are expensive

However, the “return on investment” phase means little for Arsenal at the moment. Their business philosophy is that nothing is more important than a sport, and if a sport is successful at an elite level, the source of revenue will come from that success and the enhancement of the athlete’s personal brand image. Part of such a successful team. Basically, they are adopting a post-Galactico Real Madrid mentality, while clubs like Chelsea and PSG are stuck in the “luxury” past of chasing names.

Of course, Real Madrid have spent a combined €180m on Aurelian Chomeny and Jude Bellingham over the past two summer transfer windows, even though the midfield is already the strongest part of the squad . They are willing to spend so much money on these two midfielders because they know they are rare players who will never find better options than the next five years. These are the players they have to sign for their sport.

It was important to bring in an equally expensive midfielder in the recent transfer window to provide a precedent. Regular fans still think that only forwards should spend so much, but the reality is that midfielders have become just as important in the modern game. In fact, players like Bellingham, Chameny and of course Rice who can significantly impact every phase of a game are even more valuable than strikers because they touch so many aspects of a team’s performance.

Declan Rice was always going to cost £100m because he was a valuable young Premier League midfielder, already a world-class player who could do a lot at the highest level. Last season, he averaged 3.8 tackles and interceptions per game, and had a key pass with a pass success rate of 88%. Rice is one of the best midfield passers and defenders in the entire Premier League, despite playing for underperforming West Ham United.

Statement to Manchester City

On top of that, Arsenal had to pay so much for Declan Rice because the market forced them to. Apart from the fact that West Ham understand the player’s age, quality, potential and role scarcity, Manchester City intends to pay a high price for this player.

In total they bid £90m for Rice, close to the £100m asking price set by West Ham. Arsenal then matched the offer ahead of schedule and offered an additional £5m in bonuses to ensure the Hammers would agree and put City on track to match them. The city decided not to do so.

So Arsenal went head-to-head with Emirati clubs who spent €1.7bn over the past decade and beat them in the transfer market. It means everything for the Arsenal manager, players and fans, who can see the ambition of the club leadership, willing to sign their top target no matter what, and prove they can work with the biggest financial A head-to-head confrontation of strength. in the market.

Because implicitly, if you can’t compete in the market, you can’t compete with them on the field. Arsenal did not want to lose an extremely valuable goal – one that perfectly met the team’s greatest needs – to a direct title rival and watch the title rival become more dominant in the most important areas of the pitch.

It is important to state that they are willing to spend on par with top competitors for the right targets. It wasn’t a case of Arsenal overspending beyond market value on a spare player, or getting caught up in an ego-inflated transfer war that led to them overpaying (as rivals Chelsea have done on numerous occasions).

No, that’s the case with Arsenal’s unwavering commitment to making reasonable purchases for elite targets, opening the wallets for players they need more than City. Because City already have Rodri (and John Stones). Meanwhile, Arteta needs a world-class anchor of his own.