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Former Brazil coach Tite has praised soon-to-be Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice.
According to various reports, Rice has agreed a five-year deal with the Gunners and will join for £100 milion plus £5 million in add-ons from West Ham United. It will be a record fee for an Englishman, who is expected to massively bolster the team's prospects in the present and future.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Tite praised Rice, saying (as quoted by TBR Football):
“Declan Rice… Ooooff! Good passer, great vision.”
The West Ham skipper has improved his game immensely in recent years. Last season, he led them to the UEFA Europa Conference League title, their first trophy since 1980. He also helped the Hammers stave off relegation after a poor start to the Premier League season.
As evident in Tite's praise, Rice is an excellent passer who often broke lines and set West Ham on the front foot with his distribution. The 24-year-old averaged more passes in the opposition half (25.4) than in his own half (24.4) and 1.0 key passes per game in 37 Premier League matches last term.
Despite largely being deployed as a defensive midfielder, he has recorded 10 goals and eight assists over the last two seasons. Rice has also been extremely durable, last missing games due to injury for West Ham all the way back in 2019. Over the last five seasons, he has played 213 matches for the Hammers.
Arsenal inch closer to completing Declan Rice deal and also their third signing of the summer
Arsenal have endured a busy summer so far, which began with their signing of Kai Havertz from Chelsea. Havertz has signed a five-year deal with the Gunners after arriving on a transfer fee of around £65 million.
Declan Rice looks set to become their second signing. Additionally, they are also inching closer to closing a deal to bring in versatile Dutchman Jurrien Timber from AFC Ajax on a deal worth £38.7 million (via the Mirror).
Transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano provided an update on Arsenal's deals for Rice and Timber via his Twitter page on July 6, writing:
"Busy, huge Friday @ Arsenal. New deal announcement for William Saliba. Medical tests for Jurrien Timber. Medical tests for Declan Rice. Crucial step for present and future of the club after long, difficult negotiations."
William Saliba, one of Arsenal's best players from the 2022-23 season, is set to sign a deal until 2027 with an option for a further year. The Gunners have also announced that they have agreed a deal to extend midfielder Reiss Nelson's contract.
Granit Xhaka's departure to Bayer Leverkusen was confirmed on July 6 as well. Arsenal are reportedly working on an exit of Thomas Partey as well.
The Gunners potentially realise the need to revamp and bolster their squad depth after a title-heartbreak last season at the hands of Manchester City. Among other things, lack of squad depth was a key reason behind Arsenal's failure to sustain their lead at the top of the Premier League table come the end of the season.
