90min

Arsenal teammate stunned by Declan Rice's level since £105m move

  • Defender sings midfielder's praises as Gunners contend for Premier League title
  • Rice arrived at the Emirates from West Ham last July for a record transfer fee
  • The 25-year-old is being backed to guide Three Lions to success this summer

By Joshua Browne

Rice has scored seven goals and assisted eight in his first season with the Gunners
Rice has scored seven goals and assisted eight in his first season with the Gunners / Visionhaus/GettyImages
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Gabriel Magalhaes admits he's been blown away by the impact made by Declan Rice at Arsenal since his £105m move from West Ham United.

Rice became the most expensive British player of all time after leading West Ham to Conference League glory in 2023, joining the Gunners despite serious interest from Manchester City.

Any early doubts over Rice's hefty price tag were quickly squashed by promising early season performances, and the 25-year-old has since established himself as one of Arsenal's most important players.

Rice was in contention to win the Premier League Player of the Season award, but lost out to England teammate Phil Foden, who also beat him to the FWA Footballer of the Year gong.

Nevertheless, Rice's impact has not been lost on Gabriel, who admits he didn't expect the box-to-box midfielder to stand out as much as he has.

“I didn’t expect it to be honest," the Brazilian told Arsenal's official website. "I had watched Declan before and knew he was a top player. He’s been having a big impact on the team here and really helping us out so we’re happy to have him.

David Raya, Gabriel Magalhaes
Gabriel has also been impressed by David Raya / Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/GettyImages

"He has so much quality and can play in two or three different positions so of course we’re thrilled to have him in the team."

Gabriel also spoke positively about goalkeeper David Raya, whose loan move from Brentford will be turned into a permanent £27m transfer this summer.

“Of course David is a very important player for us,” Gabriel said of the Spaniard, who dislodged Aaron Ramsdale as the club's number one in September. “We’re very happy to have him here and we’re pleased he joined the club and has been doing a great job.

“We’ve changed the way we play to some extent but with Aaron Ramsdale we were already playing like that, so it’s just small things really.”

Gabriel's own impressive performances have seen him called up to Brazil's 23-player party for this summer's Copa America - a competition that will run at the same time as Euro 2024 , which Rice is expected to star at for England.

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