I’m really surprised by How he manage to do that,His presence on the pitch gives us hope’: Declan Rice name One Arsenal player as His best teammate so far in His career – Not Ødegaard ,Not Saliba and Not Bukayo Saka
Arsenal star Declan Rice sang the praises of team-mate Gabriel Magalhaes after the Gunners’ thumping win over Newcastle United on Saturday night. Following his £105million summer switch from West Ham, Rice claims that witnessing Gabriel’s strength and aggression at close quarters caught him off guard.
By his own admission, Rice was preparing to be blown away by Gabriel’s centre-back partner, William Saliba, upon arriving at the Emirates Stadium. The Frenchman was one of the Premier League’s best defenders last season as Arsenal narrowly missed out on the title.
And while Saliba’s ability has not left Rice disappointed, the former Hammers captain was surprised by just how good Gabriel is too. “I think Saliba is unbelievable,” Rice explained. “I obviously heard all the talk about him before I came here.
“But the one who’s really surprised me is actually Gabriel. He’s so aggressive, so strong. He really wants it all the time, never loses a duel. When you’ve got two centre backs like that who want it, play aggressively, it really helps and gives you confidence.”
Gabriel, Rice and Saliba were denied a clean sheet against Newcastle on Saturday as ex-Gunner Joe Willock netted a consolation goal in the 84th minute. But the game was dead and buried by then as Arsenal put three valuable points on the board.
Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Jakub Kiwior all found the net after Sven Botman kicked the game off with an early own-goal. The handsome 4-1 victory leaves Arsenal within two points of table-toppers Liverpool and one point of second-place Manchester City.
