Declan Rice to Arsenal: 3 winners & 3 losers from this transfer

Arsenal remain keen on signing Declan Rice from West Ham United. In fact, Mikel Arteta has even started his team for next season around Rice. This got me thinking – Which players will actually benefit from this transfer, and which players will this deal hinder?

Declan Rice to Arsenal: 3 winners & 3 losers

Let’s take a look at my 3 winners and 3 losers from Declan Rice to Arsenal

WINNER #1 – Martin Odegaard

The first and most obvious winner is Martin Odegaard, the Arsenal captain. The Norwegian international had a stellar season last time out and it was largely due to Granit Xhaka and his probing runs. This gave Odegaard a target to aim for as his creativity truly comes through when the box-to-box midfielder or attackers make runs behind the defence.

Declan Rice has an incredible stature, so if he is used by Mikel Arteta as the box-to-box midfielder (which I predict he will be), then he’s the ideal recipient for Odegaard’s inch-perfect passes.

LOSER #1 – Granit Xhaka

If Declan Rice does sign for Arsenal, then this does essentially mean the end of the road for Granit Xhaka. Despite his terrific season last time out, he is on the sale list.

Xhaka did have his happy ending at the Emirates Stadium, though. On the final day of the season, he scored a brace which capped off his stellar final season in an Arsenal shirt. With Arteta insistent that he must sign a replacement before any Xhaka move is allowed to happen, Rice is likely to be that replacement.

Now that the obvious shouts are out the way, let’s take a look at some rogue winners and losers. To continue this slide, press below, or use the numbered navigation bar at the top. Your choice!