Declan Rice could be given NEW position by Mikel Arteta as £105m transfer tipped to fire Arsenal to title in shock role
DECLAN RICE could be given a new position by Mikel Arteta when he completes his move to Arsenal.
The £105million man has been tipped to fire Arsenal to the Premier League title in a shock role.
Rice is on the verge of completing his move to the Gunners after an agreement was finally reached with West Ham United.
The agreement over the fee and payment structure on Tuesday has cleared the way for Rice to have a medical after already finalising personal terms.
With the impending departure of Granit Xhaka, Rice has been tipped to replace the Swiss midfielder and take up a new role.
Having previously starred for West Ham in a two-man midfield in front of the defence, Rice would slot into the left side of a three if he takes up Xhaka’s position.
The new role would see the 24-year-old play as a number eight, rather than as a number six, where he has featured so far in his career.
Instead of receiving the ball deep in his own half, the England star would instead be gaining possession facing the opposition in the final third.
He would also be expected to attack the box from deep in the opposition half as Arsenal look to breakdown the defence.
His potential new role comes as he prepares to join a team who enjoy more possession than the Hammers and play with a different style.
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Arteta’s tactics helped Arsenal provide a shock title challenge last season as they finished second in the table.
The Spaniard is looking to go one better next term and has already added Kai Havertz to his squad.
Dutch defender Jurrien Timber is also close to joining the club, with an agreement reached with Ajax for the transfer.