Arsenal are a one-season wonder who Declan Rice will reject, says ex-West Ham star

Arsenal manager gives the team instructions during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 15, 2023 in London, England.
(Image credit: Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Arsenal are the subject of some scathing analysis from one former West Ham United star – who reckons that the Gunners won't be signing Declan Rice this summer, either.

The Gunners sit five points clear at the top of the Premier League ahead of hosting Brentford at the Emirates Stadium this weekend. After accumulating 50 points in the first 19 games of the season, Arsenal are on course for a centurion season – and this is their best-ever Premier League campaign up to this point.

Rumours are rife, too, that manager Mikel Arteta is keen to improve his squad further. West Ham captain Declan Rice is on the shortlist as a new defensive midfielder – but now ex-Hammer Glen Johnson says signing the England international isn't realistic for the table-toppers. 

Declan Rice of West Ham during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester City at London Stadium on August 07, 2022 in London, England.

Declan Rice is Arsenal's No.1 priority this summer (Image credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images)

"I can't see him moving to Arsenal in all honesty. Even if Arsenal win the league this season, I’d still be really surprised if they win the league again next season," Johnson told Betfred

"They look great at the moment and things are going really well for them, but this is a total outlier season for them because they’ve been nowhere near this good previously under Mikel Arteta. Have they turned everything around in six months to be title challengers on a consistent basis? I don’t believe so.

"Even if Arsenal win the league I don’t believe Declan will move there because the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool, three teams who haven’t been at their best, are not all going to underperform again next season.

"If two or them can get back to their best next season, then Arsenal are going to be fourth or fifth possibly."

Glen Johnson

Glen Johnson reckons Arsenal are enjoying an "outlier" season (Image credit: Getty)

West Ham star Rice is out of contract in 2024 and apparently turned down three extensions at the London Stadium so far. 

Rice is valued at €80m by Transfermarkt

More Arsenal stories

Despite Mikel Arteta's pride in his players, the Arsenal manager's defeat at Goodison Park has extended a curse

Interest in Declan Rice is ramping up, while Folarin Balogun's form on loan is posing interesting questions for Arteta

Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.