Where does Declan Rice fit in with Arsenal? Shaka doesn't see it 👀 | ESPN FC

WELCOME INTO THE LATEST EDITION OF ESPN FC. >> I’M DAN THOMAS JOINING THE STUDIO TODAY. WE WELCOME BACK FROM HIS PEBBLE BEACH EXPLOITS SHAKA HISLOP IS HERE AND STILL WITH US OH SORRY. >> SORRY. >> STEVIE NICOL IS WITH US AS WELL ON THE DAY THAT ALL REPORTS ARE SUGGESTING THAT DECLAN RICE IS ON HIS WAY TO ARSENAL. IN DOING SO, HE WILL BECOME THE 10TH MOST EXPENSIVE PLAYER IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME. ARSENAL LOOKS SET TO PAY 116 MILLION FOR THE ENGLAND INTERNATIONAL. FOR MORE ON THIS, LET’S WELCOME IN DON HUTCHINSON, WHO DON,

THAT’S A LOT OF MONEY. >> IT IS A LOT OF MONEY. LISTEN, I THINK, DON, WHEN WE TALK MONEY THESE DAYS, IT’S QUITE EASY. JUST TO SAY, OH, 100 MILLION, 160 MILLION POUND. BUT YOU KNOW, IN THE MODERN DAY, I THINK WITH A LIST OF PLAYERS YOU’VE JUST SHOWED, THEY I THINK HE’S IT’S HARD TO SAY HE’S WORTH IT BECAUSE I GO BACK TO PEOPLE LIKE OH NINE AND YOU KNOW SYDNEY TO ZIDANE WENT FOR ABOUT £45 MILLION. SO THAT’S OBVIOUSLY IN THE PAST. AND YOU TRY AND TRY AND COMPREHEND THE NUMBERS THAT THESE GUYS

ARE PUTTING UP THESE DAYS, BUT IN THE WAY HE PLAYS THE GAME DOWN, I THINK NOT ONLY ARE YOU GETTING THE PERFECT

PLAYER, BUT I THINK ARSENAL ARE GETTING THE PERFECT CHARACTER BECAUSE I THINK MANAGERS ARE DEFINITELY LOOKING AT THE CHARACTER OF PLAYER. NEVER A PROBLEM, ALWAYS INJURED, VERSATILE CAN PLAY AS A SIX AND EIGHT CAPTAIN MATERIAL. SEE WHAT HE’S DONE FOR WEST HAM, TAKING THEM TO A CONFERENCE FINAL WIN LAST SEASON AND THE ROLE THAT HE PLAYS. HE’S VERY EASY ON THE EYE AND I THINK WHAT YOU’RE BUYING AS WELL, YOU’RE NOT BUYING THE

FINISHED ARTICLE JUST YET AT 116, SO I THINK THERE’S A LOT MORE TO COME FROM DECLAN RICE IN THIS ARSENAL SYSTEM. I THINK YOU’LL SEE HIM FLOURISH, SCORE MORE GOALS, GET MORE ASSISTS. >> IS THERE ANY WAY, STEVIE, THIS DOESN’T WORK WELL, IF THERE’S A CUT ON THAT LIST, THAT’S A BIT HURT. >> THAT LIST YOU JUST PUT UP THERE. THE FIRST THING I THOUGHT ABOUT WAS, YEAH, PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THEM BOMBED FOR THE AMOUNT OF MONEY. SO IT SHOWS YOU JUST BECAUSE YOU PAY A LOT OF MONEY, IT DOESN’T MEAN YOU’RE GOING TO

GET A PLAYER. YEAH NO, I WOULD ABSOLUTELY AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT DON SAID. I JUST DON’T SEE HOW IT’S POSSIBLE THAT DECLAN RICE DOESN’T MAKE AN IMPACT ON THIS ARSENAL SIDE. RIGHT. I THINK HE’S ABSOLUTELY THE RIGHT FIT FOR HIM. HE’S PERFECT. EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM, AND PARTICULARLY THE CAPTAIN MATERIAL. BUT YOU KNOW, HAVING A LOT OF YOUNG GUYS, OKAY, THE LAST COUPLE OF SEASONS, THEY’VE PLAYED A LOT OF GAMES, BUT THEY’RE STILL YOUNG MAN. AND TO HAVE SOMEBODY LIKE DECLAN RICE, WHO JUST IT’S JUST NATURAL LEADER, HE DOESN’T TRY. HE JUST DOES IT. SO I

DON’T SEE HOW THIS GOES WRONG. >> WE DISCUSSED A LOT. SHAKA, IN YOUR ABSENCE, IF YOU WERE DECLAN RICE, WHERE WOULD YOU GO? MANCHESTER CITY OR ARSENAL CITY, OF COURSE, TABLING THAT BID YESTERDAY. I’M SURE IF IT CAME DOWN TO IT AND DECLAN RICE REALLY WANTED TO PUSH THAT MOVE TO CITY, MAYBE HE COULD HAVE PERSUADED CITY TO UP THE BID OR WHATEVER TO GET IT DONE. HOW DO YOU THINK THIS PLAYED OUT? WHY DO YOU THINK CITY WITHDREW? I THINK CITY JUST HAD THE ELEMENT THEY PUT A VALUE ON THE PLAYER AND DECIDED THAT

THEY DIDN’T WANT TO GO OVER IT. >> WEST HAM WE WERE PUSHING FOR A WHOLE LOT MORE. THEY HAD THEIR OWN VALUE AND IT JUST IT JUST DIDN’T MATCH. CITY FEEL THAT THEY HAVE COVERED IN THAT POSITION THAT THEY HAVE TALENT IN THAT POSITION OF IDENTIFIED TALENT THAT THEY CAN BRING IN AT A MORE REASONABLE COST. ARSENAL FELT THAT DECLAN RICE WAS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT PLAYER THE ONLY PLAYER FOR THEM AND SO WE WERE PREPARED TO MEET WEST HAM’S VALUATION. IT’S JUST AS SIMPLE AS THAT. IF YOU’RE ARSENAL I’M NOT SURE HOW THRILLED YOU ARE. MANCHESTER

CITY ENTERING THE RACE, ENTERING THE RACE JUST TO BOOST THE PRICE FOR RICE. AND THEN BUT AGAIN, IF YOU’RE ARSENAL AND YOU’RE PREPARED TO GO THAT FAR AND ADDING A WHAT, TEN, 10 MILLION ON TOP OR WHATEVER IT IS AND WHATEVER IT WAS, JUST JUST MAKES SENSE GIVEN THE AGE, GIVEN THE TALENT OF THE PLAYER, WHERE DOES HE FIT THEN INTO THIS ARSENAL STARTING 11 FOR YOU? >> DON WELL, HE FITS RIGHT INTO MIDFIELD, OBVIOUSLY, BUT HE FITS A VERSATILE SYSTEM WHERE ZINCHENKO MIGHT PLAY, AS WE’VE SEEN BEFORE, HE PLAYS A SORT OF INVERTED ROLE.

>> YOU SEE THE GRAPHIC. THERE WERE ODEGAARD AND KAI HAVERTZ. I MEAN, THAT’S QUITE A FORMIDABLE THREE IN TERMS OF YOU AIN’T GETTING THE BALL OFF THOSE THREE. AND THEN FORWARD. THEY’VE GOT THE, YOU KNOW, THEY’VE GOT SO MUCH TALENT AT THE TOP END OF THE PITCH. BUT IT’S VERY INTERESTING WHERE AND WHAT MIKEL ARTETA WILL WANT DECLAN RICE TO DO YOU MIGHT SEE HAVERTZ BOMB ON ANOTHER TEN YARDS UP THE PITCH ON THAT GRAPHIC SAME AS EARLIER GORDON ZINCHENKO SITTING ALONGSIDE HIM AND I THINK WHAT YOU’RE GETTING AS WELL WITH DECLAN RICE IS THE

DECLAN RICE THAT PLAYED IN A DAVID MOYES WAS OBVIOUSLY A MORE DEFENSIVE DECLAN RICE BECAUSE WHEN YOU’RE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LEAGUE, YOU’RE HOLDING ONTO RESULTS YOU DON’T REALLY WANT TO BOMB ON. THERE’S PEOPLE LIKE SO CHECK AND PACKET THAT CAN DO THAT. SO HE’S THEN MORE DISCIPLINED. I THINK WHAT YOU’LL SEE NOW WITH DECLAN RICE, YOU’LL SEE A LOT MORE. I THINK A CAVALIER APPROACH, IF YOU LIKE. I THINK YOU’LL SEE A GUY THAT PLAYS WITH A LOT MORE FREEDOM DEFENDERS WILL BE TRUSTWORTHY BEHIND HIM AND HE CAN LEAVE THAT POSITION WHEN, WHEN

NEEDED. BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT THE PLAYERS ARTETA HAS GOT TO WORK WITH, WITH THE OFFENSIVE PLAYERS , I THINK YOU’LL PROBABLY BE IN THAT CENTRAL MIDFIELD AREA WHERE I’LL BE A LITTLE BIT MORE DEFENSIVE WITH AN EYE AT THE RIGHT TIME TO GO FORWARD. I DON’T SEE THAT. >> NOT WITH THAT. NOT OF HAVERTZ PLAYS IN THERE. >> OKAY. >> OTHERWISE HE’S GOING TO DEFEND RIGHT. AND I DON’T SEE HOW HAVERTZ PLAYS IN THERE. >> OH REALLY? WHY >> GIVE ME ONE THING. GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON WHY HE

PLAYS IN THE MIDDLE AND HAS TO DO A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING. I DON’T SEE IT. HE COULDN’T DO THE ONE THING THAT HE NEEDED TO DO FOR CHELSEA. BUT YOU’RE GOING TO ASK HIM TO DO 2 OR 3 OTHER THINGS. >> WELL, WHERE WOULD YOU HAVE HAVERTZ? >> I WOULDN’T HAVE HIM. I WOULDN’T HAVE HIM. >> YOU’VE SPENT A LOT OF MONEY ON HIM, STEVIE. >> I MEAN, YOU GOING TO MIKEL ARTETA OBVIOUSLY REALLY RATES HIM. >> YEAH, HE DEFINITELY. >> WELL, LISTEN, I’LL TELL US. DON’T WEIGH MORE IN THE GAME THAN ME, BUT

I DON’T SEE I DON’T SEE HOW HE PLAYS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARK. AND YOU MARTINELLI’S PLAYING SAKA STARTING. AND ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT HE JUST ISN’T GOING TO START? OF COURSE HE’S GOING TO START. YOU CAN’T. YOU CAN’T HAVE THAT THREE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARK AGAINST THE PROPERTY. NO CHANCE. I DON’T SEE IT. >> I’VE BEEN SEEING THIS FROM DAY ONE. I JUST DON’T SEE HOW VERSUS A FIT AND MAYBE AGAIN, I’LL ECHO STEVIE ARTETA HAS AN IDEA ABOUT KAI HAVERTZ AS A PLAYER, HOW HE’S GOING TO UTILIZE IN THAT

RIGHT NOW, I’M JUST NOT SEEING. BUT UNTIL WE SEE ARSENAL LINE UP AND HE’S STARTING DAY OF THE SEASON AND WE SEE HOW ARTETA INTENDS TO USE HAVERTZ, I’M GOING TO BE JOINING THEM THIS IS WHAT ARTETA SAID. >> KAI IS A PLAYER OF TOP QUALITY. HE WAS GREAT. HE HAS GREAT VERSATILITY AND IS AN INTELLIGENT PLAYER. HE WILL BRING A HUGE AMOUNT OF EXTRA STRENGTH TO OUR MIDFIELD AND VARIETY TO OUR PLAYER. >> STRIKE ONE. LET’S GO AT THE STRENGTH. BUT WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THIS GAME HAD A CHALLENGE? I GOT A BALL

BACK, BUT YOU JUST SAID LIKE WHY? >> ARTETA SEES SOMETHING IS SURELY BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN DRIVING THIS DEAL. >> I’M JUST ARGUING THE POINTS THAT HE MADE. YEAH. YES IT DOES. HE HAVE A GOOD FOOTBALL BRAIN? YES HE HAS. DOES HE HAVE ABILITY? YES, HE HAS. BUT IT’S NOT IN THE MIDDLE. IT’S NOT IN THE ENGINE ROOM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARK. IT CAN’T BE. HE’S SHOWN. I’M SORRY. I HAVEN’T SEEN ANYTHING FROM KAI HAVERTZ, WHETHER IT WAS IN GERMANY OR WHETHER IT’S IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE, TO SUGGEST THAT HE’S A GUY YOU

HAVE IN THE MIDDLE THREE OF A FOUR, THREE, THREE AND IN THE BUNDESLIGA. >> TO BE FAIR, HE WOULD DROP OFF INTO MIDFIELD AND WOULD PICK, BUT HE WOULD START HIGHER UP AND THEN DROP INTO THOSE DROP INTO THOSE HALF SPACES WHERE HE WOULD FIND ROOM. AND HE’S A VERY GOOD PASSER OF THE FOOTBALL, BUT THAT’S COMING BACK ONTO THE BALL THAT’S KIND OF DRAWING DEFENDERS OUT OF POSITION. AND AS I SAID, PLAYING IN THOSE HALF POSITIONS. YOU SAW NONE OF THAT TO CHELSEA. CHELSEA WAS ASKED TO PLAY UP FRONT, EVEN WHEN HE DROPPED OFF.

WELL A STRUGGLING CHELSEA TEAM. SO YOU WANT TO DISCOUNT THAT. BUT TO THE POINT THAT EVEN WHEN HE WAS AT HIS BEST, IT WASN’T COMING FROM MIDFIELD, IT WAS DROPPING INTO MIDFIELD ON THE OCCASION. SO I I’LL KEEP SAYING IT FROM NOW TILL THE START OF THE SEASON. I JUST DON’T SEE IT AT AND UNTIL ARTETA’S LINES LINES ARSENAL UP AND WE SEE HOW HE INTENDS TO USE HIM AND SEE HOW IT WORKS. I AM HAPPY TO BE PROVEN WRONG, JUST AS WE SIT RIGHT NOW. END OF JUNE, I’M DRAWING A BLANK ARSENAL FANS, OF

COURSE, VERY EXCITED BY THE MOVE AND I HAVE TO SAY I’M QUITE EXCITED. >> IT MUST BE SAID AS WELL. WHY STEVEN, SHOULD WE SHOW EVERYBODY? WHY I DON’T THINK ARSENAL GET TOP FOUR NEXT SEASON? >> OH, HERE WE GO. >> IT’S ANOTHER BIT ANOTHER STEVIE BACK COMING UP. WHY DON’T I JUST GOT A FEELING EVERYONE WILL BE STRONGER. >> HOLD ON, HOLD ON. >> EVERYONE WILL BE BETTER. >> DO YOU WANT TO GO? 50 BUCKS? DONE >> HAVE YOU GOT THAT OFF THE TOP? >> FOUR? YES, ABSOLUTELY. I SAY ARSENAL. ARSENAL FINISHED. TOP FOUR,

50 BUCKS. >> ALL RIGHT, LET’S HAVE 50 ON THAT WE GO. >> THAT’S EASY. >> DONE. MY DAYS. YOU ARE GOING TO BE MINTED AT THE END OF THE SEASON. >> THEY NOT AN EXAMPLE OF NOT TAKING THE BAIT, DON. >> OBVIOUSLY, THE BET IS NOW MADE. IT’S BEEN TELEVISED, BEEN CAPTURED. YOU CAN’T GO BACK ON IT NOW. DO YOU WISH YOU COULD KNOW? >> NO, IT’S A BIT OF FUN. I’VE BEEN I’VE BEEN IT. >> I’VE BEEN DONE. I’M MORE MONEY THAN £50. >> NO, LISTEN, I MADE THAT BET BEFORE. HAVE IT. AND BEFORE

DECLAN RICE JUST I HAD A FUNNY FEELING WHEN I LOOKED AT THE TEAMS THAT WERE IN THE TOP FOUR LIKE NEWCASTLE. I EXPECT, MAN, YOU TO GO AGAIN AND EXPECT LIVERPOOL TO GO AGAIN. I’M NOT SURE WHAT VERSION OF CHELSEA WERE GOING TO GET, BUT THEY’LL CERTAINLY BE BETTER THAN LAST SEASON. SO I THOUGHT BEFORE THE SIGNS WERE MADE I THOUGHT THEY MIGHT STRUGGLE. BUT THE DECLAN RICE WAS A GAME CHANGER. I THINK THAT MOVES THE NEEDLE. I THINK ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO SECURE NOT ONLY TOP FOUR, BUT TRYING TO SECURE

A TITLE RACE ALL OF A SUDDEN BECAUSE THAT’S A STATEMENT SIGNING WHEN YOU NICK A PLAYER AWAY FROM MAN CITY WHO BID, WHAT, CLOSE TO 100 MILLION POUNDS, CITY OBVIOUSLY FANCIED HIM BIG TIME AND EVERYONE ELSE DOES. SO FOR ARSENAL, IT’S A FANTASY SIGNING. AND JUST ON THE KAI HAVERTZ POINT AS WELL, I THINK WHEN YOU PUT THE GRAPHIC UP THERE AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, STEVIE CAN SHOOT ME DOWN WITH YOU IF YOU WANT, BUT WE’RE KIND OF HAVERTZ IN THAT MIDFIELD ROLE, JUST SITTING THERE IS NOT THE RIGHT FIT, BUT ARSENAL WON’T PLAY

LIKE THAT. AS I SAID BEFORE, ZINCHENKO WILL STEP INTO THAT MIDFIELD, WHICH THEN WILL PUSH KAI HAVERTZ INTO A SORT OF NUMBER TEN POSITION. AND I SPENT 17 YEARS DOWN BEING A HOLDER OR BEING A MIDFIELD PLAYER AND WHEN I GOT TOLD THAT JOELINTON WAS GOING TO COME FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF A CENTER FORWARD INTO A MIDFIELD PLAYER AT NEWCASTLE, I THOUGHT ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE. HE’S BEEN ONE OF NEWCASTLE’S BEST PLAYERS IN THAT POSITION OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, SO LET’S WAIT AND SEE. >> WHAT DOES THIS MEAN, THIS SIGNING STEVIE FOR ARSENAL’S TITLE

CREDENTIALS, THE DECLAN RICE SIGNING. >> WELL, IT JUST MEANS THAT IT MEANS THAT THERE’S GOING TO BE UP THERE FIGHTING FOR IT. IT DOESN’T I DON’T THINK IT TAKES THEM ABOVE CITY RIGHT. >> DOES IT CLEARLY MAKE THEM SECOND FAVORITE OR WERE THEY SECOND FAVORITES BEFORE? >> NO, I THINK THE SECOND FAVORITES, YEAH. YEAH. CONSIDERING WHAT THEY DID LAST YEAR AND THEN THEY’VE ADDED PARTICULARLY DECLAN RICE, THAT MAKES THEM BETTER AND SO YES, ABSOLUTELY. YOU KNOW, WE CAN WE CAN SIT HERE AND TALK ABOUT LIVERPOOL AND CHELSEA BEING BETTER. UM, BUT THE FACT IS UNTIL

THEY ARE YOU DON’T KNOW I DON’T SEE ARSENAL JUST ALL OF A SUDDEN CAPITULATING THEY’LL BE AT IT AGAIN AT THE START OF THE SEASON WITH DECLAN RICE. IT MAKES THEM A STRONGER AND BETTER SIDE AND FOR THE TEAM THAT CAME SO CLOSE TO WINNING THE TITLE LAST YEAR, THERE’S NO WAY THEY’RE NOT GOING TO BE FIGHTING. >> LET’S DO IT. LET’S DO IT. SHAQ PERCENTAGE CHANCE ALSO IN THE TITLE, BUT ALSO WON THE TITLE. >> I AM GOING TO GO 3,085. >> THAT’S QUITE HIGH. YEAH. >> AS WE SIT RIGHT NOW, WOULD IT BE

LITERALLY 35, 65? NO RIGHT NOW I STILL THINK LIVERPOOL HAVE DONE WELL IN THE TRANSFER MARKET SO FAR. AS WE SAID, THERE’S STILL A LOT OF SPECULATION ABOUT MANCHESTER UNITED. SO I THINK THOSE TWO TRAIL TRAIL TRAIL ARSENAL IN TERMS OF IN TERMS OF WHO’S FAVORITE, I WOULD SAY CITY, LET’S LET’S CALL IT 50. OKAY AND THEN THE BALANCE 15% BETWEEN BETWEEN LIVERPOOL AND ARSENAL. THAT’S, AS YOU SAID, RIGHT NOW. LONG WAIT, LONG WAIT. 5, SEVEN ONE HALF PERCENT. SO LONG WAY TO GO BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF THE TRANSFER WINDOW. >> OKAY. ALL

RIGHT. >> THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYING. >> DON’T SAY I DID MY BEST, MADE THE STATEMENT MOMENTS AGO. HE GOES, NOT BACKING OUT, HEDGING THEIR BETS. THE PERCENTAGE. KING DON. >> OH, MY GOD. I’M NOT EVEN GOING TO GET INTO THAT. MAN MATHS JACK HAS JUST NAILED IT. I MEAN, WELL, TO BE FAIR, I DID IT ALL FOR HIM. >> VERY WELL. THERE YOU GO. >> NO, IT WAS ALL HIM. IT WAS. >> NO, IT WAS ALL HIM. NO. >> 35, 50 AND THEN MAN, YOU. AND THAT’S PRETTY MANUAL. I’M IN LIVERPOOL. HUH >> NOW. NEWCASTLE.

>> NO. OH, YEAH. AMERICA NEWCASTLE. >> I DON’T THINK NEWCASTLE ARE GOING TO WIN TITLE. >> OKAY. RIGHT. DON WHAT PERCENTAGE CHANCE. >> YES. ALSO WINNING THE LEAGUE I THINK IT’S LOWER THAN 35 I THINK I THINK I’LL GO 30. I JUST THINK THERE’S A LOT THERE’S A LOT OF COMPETITION THIS SEASON. THERE’S A LOT OF COMPETITION BEFORE A BALL’S EVEN KICKED. WE’RE NOT SURE IF MAN UNITED ARE GOING TO SIGN. KAI SADO WE DON’T KNOW IF CHELSEA ARE GETTING HIM. WE DON’T HAVE NEWCASTLE GETTING TONALI HOW CAN THEY BE 30 IF THEY’RE NOT GOING

TO BE IN THE TOP FOUR? >> WELL, HOPEFULLY I THINK HE’S CHANGED HIS MIND N