Arsenal were told to sign ‘next N’Golo Kante’ to get the best out of Declan Rice

Former Arsenal captain William Gallas has urged his former club to sign ‘next N’Golo Kante’ to give Declan Rice the perfect partner in crime. Gallas spent four years at the Emirates after his controversial move from Chelsea.

The majority of Arsenal fans may be urging Mikel Arteta to sign a productive striker this summer, but Gallas believes this is the midfield his former club need to address. The former France international has argued that his attacking talents are limited by the lack of a regular player in the engine room.

“Arsenal need to find a player to play in front of the centre-backs to give Rice the freedom to express himself,” he told Gambling Zone via the Express.

“Maybe Arsenal can play with two midfielders, with Odegaard in front of him. Sure, Rice can play that role, but when you watch him play, it seems like he wants to move forward because he has the energy and physical attributes to do so.

“I think Arsenal need to find a player like N’Golo Kante. Pogba and Kante worked beautifully as a central duo. Usually Pogba went forward and Kante stayed behind, and vice versa. With Declan, Arsenal can do the same, they just need to find the perfect player to play alongside Rice.”

Rice revealed the main reason why he chose to join Arsenal over Manchester City last summer. In an interview with The Athletic, he said: “But this project (Arsenal) seemed more exciting and that’s why I chose to come to Arsenal because I believe we are onto big things here.”

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