“I said it from the beginning of the season that this guy is just overhyped and average, now everybody have seen form themselves for he’s not good enough”- Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke says Arsenal star wasn’t as good as many people thought when the season began

‘Bit carried away’…Kroenke says Arsenal star wasn’t as good as some thought earlier this season

Kroenke has claimed that some actually got a little carried away in their praise of Declan Rice during the early stages of the season following his summer move to Arsenal.

He was speaking on SkySports (broadcast on 9/12; 17:16) as he suggested that the midfielder has been so much better since moving into the holding role in the Gunners’ side.

Declan Rice has arguably been one of the best players in the Premier League this season. Understandably, his form has been under the microscope after Arsenal smashed their club-record to sign him from West Ham.

Stan Kroenke says some got carried away over form of Declan Rice

But no-one is talking about the fee to sign Rice anymore. The 24-year-old has been absolutely outstanding for Mikel Arteta’s side. He has quickly established himself as the first name on the team sheet. And he has already scored three vital goals for the Gunners in the Premier League.

But perhaps Rice’s form was not quite as good as many of us would remember. Jamie Redknapp suggested that he was not as impressed while the England international was playing in a slightly more advanced role.

“Early in the season, I have to be honest, I listened to a lot of people who got a bit carried away in terms of how he was playing. I think there was a few things that would paper over the cracks,” he told Sky Sports.

“He was playing in that left-side, in what I called the Xhaka role last year. It didn’t suit him. Declan Rice is a much better player when he’s got everything in front of him.”

Arsenal star already looks to be irreplaceable 

What Rice has done so impressively throughout his career is play in a number of roles as if he was a natural there. He began his first-team career at West Ham as a centre-back before pushing forward into midfield.

And, while Redknapp will know much better than this particular writer, it did appear that Rice was more than comfortable at the start of the campaign.

Now, you cannot deny that he has been on another level in recent weeks. He already feels like an absolutely vital cog in the Arsenal machine. 

But it is hard to argue with anyone who was just as impressed by how well Rice was playing in the early weeks of the campaign.