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Pundit lauds Arsenal’s Rice following ‘excellent’ display vs West Ham

By on October 7, 2025

Former forward turned pundit Troy Deeney has lauded Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice following his ‘excellent’ performance against West Ham United in the Premier League last weekend.

The Gunners have started the season with the ambition of finally becoming the Premier League champions after narrowly missing out on achieving that feat in the last three consecutive campaigns.

However, they had a slow start to this season and even found themselves five points behind title rival Liverpool. Following the Reds’ back-to-back defeats against Crystal Palace and Chelsea, the Gunners have placed themselves at the top of the table with a one-point lead.

Arsenal managed to come away with a comfortable 2-0 victory over the Hammers just before the international break, with Rice and Bukayo Saka managing to put their names on the scoresheet.

Now, while creating the Team of the Week for BBC Sport, Deeney included Rice following his ‘excellent’ performance vs West Ham, and says that football has become easy for the Englishman.

Deeney said:

“Great goal for Arsenal against his old club. Gets his finish and drives the team forward but I think – and this is a compliment – that he can do more. Strange to say for someone worth £100m but it looks like football is starting to become too easy for him. Arsenal will need him not only in the Premier League but the Champions League as well. Excellent performance.”

Pundit lauds Rice

Rice, valued at around £104m by Transfermarkt, used to play as a defensive midfielder at West Ham and usually plays in this position for England. However, Mikel Arteta has utilised him as a box-to-box midfielder, and the 26-year-old has been showcasing his attacking prowess in this position.

He netted nine goals and registered 10 assists across all competitions last term. This season, he has already made three goal contributions in seven starts in all tournaments.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have entered the international break on a high note and will return to action with a trip to Craven Cottage to face off against Fulham in the Premier League on 18th October.

The gap between the North London club and fifth-placed Manchester City is just three points. So, Arteta’s side can’t afford any slip-up in this encounter to keep hold of their place at the top of the league.