Glen Johnson feels Declan Rice would be better suited playing for Chelsea than Arsenal
Glen Johnson believes Declan Rice would be better fitted to play for Chelsea than Arsenal, as both teams are expected to compete for the England international’s signature in the summer transfer window,
Rice has long been a priority of Chelsea and Arsenal, and his departure from West Ham United seems inevitable. The midfielder has expressed a desire to play in a high-calibre competition, and it looks like Arsenal have a better chance of signing him than Chelsea.
It will be challenging for the Hammers to retain the midfielder for the upcoming season given that they are in danger of being relegated.
However, the Hammers placed his worth at £100 million, which might prove to be too expensive for Arsenal. And if West Ham gets relegated, then his value could fall to £55 or £60 million.
Johnson is aware that Arsenal are the favourites to sign the 24-year-old, but he believes West London is where the player will flourish. The former Chelsea player recommended Rice join Chelsea in a statement to the Midnite, (h/t Metro), saying:
‘Arsenal are definitely leading the race to sign Rice. If you had said nine months ago that Arsenal would sign him, I would probably be laughing.”
‘Declan Rice will be better suited at Chelsea. If he goes to Arsenal or Real Madrid, he would have a lot of players already pushing up, and he wouldn’t need to go up as much as he does now. He will be limited by his position and play with a handbrake on.”
Johnson is correct in saying that we want a defensive midfielder who can provide balance in the middle of the field. Rice is young and aware of what Chelsea wants, since knowing the team because he came from the Blues academy.
Our only world-class defensive midfielder at the moment is N’Golo Kante, who has missed much of the season due to injury.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are in a similar scenario since they also require a defensive midfielder. Thomas Partey is an option, while Jorginho is only a short-term fix given his age, and Mohamed Elneny isn’t a regular starter and has only appeared in five games in the English Premier League.
More Chelsea News:
- Glen Johnson outlines how Chelsea could sign Joao Felix permanently from Atletico Madrid
- Neymar has ‘no intention’ of leaving PSG amidst Chelsea interest
- Manchester City are exploring a move to sign Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell
Both clubs’ issues seem to be the same, and it is unclear who will prevail in the race to acquire Declan Rice since there will be strong competition for his signing in the summer transfer window.