Arsenal fan and TalkTV host Piers Morgan has likened new signing Declan Rice to three of the club’s legends.
The Gunners finally announced a club record £105million signing of the England international from West Ham on Saturday.
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Rice joins an Arsenal side who will be desperate to launch another Premier League title charge after losing out to Manchester City last season.
Given his efforts as West Ham captain, the 24-year-old is set to be a commanding presence in manager Mikel Arteta’s midfield.
Tony Adams guided them to three titles in three different decades.
His co-star Patrick Vieira also proved crucial to the side, and Morgan believes Rice is a mix of the two players, plus Dennis Bergkamp.
Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: “Honestly I think he’s like a cross between Adams and Vieira.
“I say that not because I want to oversell him or anything, but I think he’s got that Vieira-commanding presence in midfield which we’ve been really lacking, I think he’s going to be a proper midfield general for us.
“But I also think he’s got that Adams mentality which we really need at Arsenal. He’s a homegrown boy, he totally gets what it means to win the Premier League here.
“He’s somebody that I think will lead those young players, some of whom are brilliant but a little bit younger than him and maybe lack that experience at the highest level.
“I think he’s got everything that we need, he’s Adams meets Vieira with a dash of Bergkamp, and the reason I say that is that when we signed Bergkamp in 1995, it was transformative for the club.
“I think Rice could be a transformative signing for us. I saw someone, I think it was Perry Groves, today in the papers saying he thinks it’ll be like when Liverpool signed [Virgil] van Dijk, and I think he’s right.
“I think it’s that big a signing, so he’s worth every penny of the money and I think he’s going to be a transformative signing for us.”
Adams won four league titles and three FA Cups at Arsenal and was their Player of the Season on three different occasions.
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Vieira also enjoyed immense success with the Gunners thanks to his three league titles and four FA Cup triumphs.
If Rice was to emulate anything close to what they did, then he is set to have a hugely rewarding career in north London.
He has joined as the club’s third signing of the summer so far after Kai Havertz from Chelsea and Jurrien Timber from Ajax.
Next season will give Rice the chance to compete for more silverware and stake his claim as a key starter for England at Euro 2024.
