Four West Ham players Arsenal should try to sign


Rice

Four West Ham players Arsenal should try to sign

By Tom Masters

Arsenal take on West Ham United in a huge game in the race for European qualification, as Arsenal look to seal their place in the Champions League for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

West Ham themselves were previously in the battle for Champions League places but with recent results that has realistically changed to a chase for the Europa League. 

Mikel Arteta’s men looked to have blown their Champions League hopes when losing three matches on the bounce against Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion and Southampton, but important victories over Chelsea and Manchester United and the dream is alive again. 

But ahead of such a monumental clash for both teams, we have a look at four players that Arsenal should try to sign from West Ham. 

1.     Declan Rice 

Absolutely no surprises for this one, with virtually every top six club in the country eyeing up a move for the England midfielder. 

West Ham want over £100m for Rice, and David Moyes has made it clear that he is not going anywhere this summer, but you get the feeling that if a club were to offer that figure, the Hammers would reluctantly sell. 

Rice has been a formidable force in the Hammers midfield this season, playing 45 matches in all competitions, scoring five goals and assisting four times. 

Arsenal have not been linked to Rice, with the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea heavily linked to the 23-year-old.

But if Arteta had the funds this summer, he could do a lot worse than sign Rice, who already has 29 England caps, and take a player away from their rivals as well as securing the services of a sensational young talent. 

2.     Jarrod Bowen 


Easily West Ham’s player of the season this year, Bowen has been nothing short of exceptional. 


Nine goals and eight assists in the Premier League are both team leading totals, and The 

Hammers are a significantly worse team when he is not involved. 


The 25-year-old joined from Hull City for £19.17m and there is no doubt that to sign him now would certainly cost you a lot more than that, with his value now at £31.5m according to Transfermarkt. 


He seems likely to become part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad shortly too, and you feel an attacking trio of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Jarrod Bowen would be enough to at least see Arsenal among the Champions League places for years to come. 


3.     Vladimir Coufal 


Coufal has not had the same sort of success this season as either Rice or Bowen, but he has still proven his ability as one of the top right backs in the Premier League after a breakthrough season last year. 


The Czech defender was a vital cog in the stubborn Irons defence last season, while he also contributed seven assists in 34 Premier League games, before assisting twice in the European Championships, including one in the 2-1 defeat to Denmark in the quarter-finals. 


This season has been much more of a stop-start season for Coufal, but he still has shown his quality with assists in wins over Leicester City, Chelsea and Norwich. 


Arsenal are in need of competition on the right side of defence, and someone with the skill of Coufal both in defence and attack could be an excellent addition. 


4.     Tomas Soucek  


Coufal’s Czech teammate Soucek came over from Slavia Prague in January 2020 and has not looked back, making a name for himself as one of the top defensive midfielders in the Premier League. 


Arsenal are in need of a defensive midfielder to accompany Thomas Partey and Soucek is someone that would certainly do that. 


Like Coufal, Soucek’s real breakthrough season came in 2020/21, where he proved his value not just defensively but at the other end too, scoring 10 goals in 38 games, with his ability to get in front of the defender and head the ball in from a corner proving particularly effective. 


Arsenal will be looking to sign a holding midfielder this season, and someone of the quality of Tomas Soucek is certainly what they will be looking for and what they will want, although there have yet to be any links to the giant Czech. 

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