Former Arsenal star Anders Limpar believes that West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice could become more of a goal-scorer if he moves to the Emirates Stadium.
Somewhat surprisingly, Limpar has backed Rice to become more of a Frank Lampard-type player if he does end up joining the Gunners, saying he has it in him to score around 15 goals a season if he plays in a better team than West Ham.
We’re not sure Arsenal are looking into buying Rice for his goal-scoring qualities, but it’s an interesting theory from Limpar, who won the title during his time in north London in 1991.
It could be that Mikel Arteta has it in him to reinvent Rice’s role a little, but it would be quite a big step up for the England international, whose best ever tally over a whole campaign is the five goals he scored in all competitions last season.
Martin Odegaard has contributed double figures for goals from midfield this term and will probably be Arsenal’s main man in that department again next year, though Limpar has made it clear he’d like to see Rice come in and give AFC another goal-scorer in that area of the pitch.
Limpar exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone: “Arsenal are one of the best sides in Europe right now, especially in England. I can’t see why they have to go and sign that many more players this summer – of course, you’d like a couple more to cover for injuries. They probably need someone who can step in and cover for William Saliba, and someone up-front to account for Gabriel Jesus if he gets injured. Eddie Nketiah did a great job earlier this season but I’d still like to see someone else come in.
“Then it’s just about getting the best out of your wingers by rotating them more, so Leandro Trossard could play even more of an important role next season.
“But I’m not too concerned, honestly, with bringing in a flurry of players this summer. I’d like a Frank Lampard kind of midfielder; someone who can find 15 or 20 goals a season; a two-way player.
“We have good players in Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka, but how many goals do they have between them this season in the league? Eight in 66 games… come on… they’re such good sitting midfielders and excellent passers of the ball, but they have to produce 15 to 20 goals between them.
“If we can find a two-way player with 15 to 20 goals in their locker, we’ll be up there next season. I think Declan Rice can be that man. OK, his numbers right now aren’t at that level, but he’s playing for West Ham, who are having a terrible season. If you put him in that Arsenal team, he’s probably going to score 12 to 15 goals a season. He’s the best in England in his position, so if you add him to that Arsenal team, he’s going to produce goals, for sure.
“There are always question marks around transfer fees, and in my opinion, the figures being spoken about nowadays are absolutely crazy. But if Arsenal can get him in the summer, he’d be a great addition.”