Arsenal ‘absolutely sure’ that ‘future captain’ will sign new deal as top source shares Arteta’s stance | OneFootball

Arsenal are confident that Declan Rice will put pen to paper on a new deal at Emirates Stadium in the coming months, amid claims he is ready to commit his prime years to the Gunners, and despite Graeme Souness’ bizarre claim that he sees the midfielder as nailing down a new position in the future.

The Gunners shattered their transfer record to prise Rice from London rivals West Ham in July 2023 in a deal worth £100m. Quickly settling into Mikel Arteta’s side, it is safe to say that Arsenal’s investment into signing the 26-year-old star has already paid off rich dividends.

One of the first names on Arteta’s teamsheet and a regular for his country too, Rice is now firmly established as one of the leading midfielders in world football – and a key component to Arsenal‘s rise to the Premier League summit this season.

His current contract at Arsenal runs until summer 2028, while the Gunners do hold an option to extend that by a further year – meaning he is effectively still contracted to the Gunners for a further three and a half years.

Despite that, the Gunners are keen to reward Rice with an improved and extended deal as a reward for his fine performances. As a result, Fabrizio Romano has revealed that he is one of the next wave of stars the club wants to secure to new contracts once Bukayo Saka’s deal has been finalised and following on from the likes of William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

However, despite the club’s desire to tie Rice – a player they see as captaincy material at Arsenal – down to a new deal, there will be rush with talks amid a confidence all parties are happy to extend.

“There is no mad rush to tie down Rice, but he is one of the most valuable members of the squad and future captain material,” transfer correspondent Dean Jones told TEAMtalk.

“He was always determined to prove he was a £100 million signing that was worth the money and also to go above and beyond that and establish himself as a centrepiece of the England team too.

“He continues to improve every area of his game and people that have worked closely to him believe there are more strings to his bow yet to be fully unleashed.

“I expect Rice will stay with Arsenal, and there is not expected to be any problem when it comes to the next contract, but it is not something that Arsenal want to delay for too long because he’s about to enter his prime years and they will want to be absolutely sure of his future.”

Despite his ability to play a variety of different positions across the midfield – either holding as a No.6, a box-to-box No.8 or even as an attack-minded No.10 if required – pundit Graeme Souness says he sees Rice’s long-term position as a centre-half.

The 72-times capped England star is no stranger to operating in defence, having played there on occasions during his time breaking through at West Ham before being converted into a midfielder.

However, Souness is adamant the player’s position, long term, will be at the heart of defence.

“I think, ultimately, that’s where he’ll play,” Souness told talkSPORT.

“After the last England game, I think there was some journalist pointing out something I put out four or five years ago.

“If you’re talking about the defensive side of the game, for a central midfield player, he’s a 10 out of 10.

“I think he’s a six out of 10 with the ball, when he’s trying to make cute and clever passes. [That’s] just my opinion.”

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Meanwhile, Arsenal will be keeping a close watch on a top Bayern Munich talent on Wednesday evening as they take on the German giants in a marquee Champions League clash and amid claims the Gunners are plotting a spectacular future raid.

Elsewhere, TEAMtalk can shed light on whether there’s any truth in claims Arsenal will let Myles Lewis-Skelly depart amid his lack of action and confirmed interest from London rivals Chelsea.

Finally, one man who could now lay claim to being the signing of the season is Arsenal’s hat-trick hero, Eberechi Eze. On the back of his magnificent treble, our writers have debated if the England playmaker is indeed the league’s best new addition, with two other stars also considered for the accolade.