Pundit Steve Nicol has suggested that the potential addition of Declan Rice to their squad would make Manchester City a tougher side for Premier League clubs to play against.
The Citizens saw a £90m bid for the West Ham United midfielder rejected earlier today, with Arsenal also in the mix to land a deal for him.
With the Englishman having a decision to make about which club to join, one pundit has shared his thoughts on what sort of fit he could be in City’s team.
Nicol makes Premier League warning over potential Rice move
Speaking in a recent video on the ESPN FC YouTube channel, Nicol said this about Rice’s potential role in Pep Guardiola’s side should he end up moving to Manchester this summer.
He said: “I tell you what, he starts and he probably starts in a position where, I’m not saying he hasn’t played before but I think he’ll end up being a little bit further than he is with West Ham.
“Because obviously, defensively, he’s the man they rely on to cover everybody, to win it back, to get it going, but I think he’s got a lot more in his locker than that.
“And the fact that Rodri will still be there and still play, I think Rodri is the one that will sit deeper and Declan Rice will be a step further up, which is bad news for the other Premier League sides because it’s going to be even harder to get out now because he’s up there, so that’s where he plays for me.”
Last season saw the 24-year-old end his latest Premier League campaign with more progressive passes (240) than any other West Ham player, as well as having the highest combined total of tackles and interceptions (142).
This shows how comfortable he is in on the ball and how equally useful he can be out of possession.
Bearing in mind how City had the highest average of possession per 90 minutes (64.7%) in the league last season, this suggests that while Rice may have the chance to be more adventurous on the ball going forward, he also has the ability to help win the ball back for the team when they don’t have possession.
This shows why Nicol thinks the Englishman’s potential arrival at the Etihad could make City significantly better and harder to play against.
