Declan Rice would be a ‘dream’ for any team, but Aston Villa have a better no.6 than Arsenal

Declan Rice has been applauded for his immense efforts at Arsenal, but Jermaine Pennant believes Aston Villa have the superior no.6.

Since signing for the Gunners from West Ham in a £105million deal, Rice has established himself as vital player under Mikel Arteta.

Rice has been one of the signings of the summer for Arsenal

He scored a crucial header away at Luton Town on Tuesday in the seventh minute of stoppage-time to seal a huge 4-3 win.

Rice has been a dominant figure in the Arsenal midfield and is now also a regular starter for England at international level.

Despite his success so far, Pennant has named Villa star Douglas Luiz as someone he thinks is a better player than the Gunners general.

“Any team would dream to have Rice, but there are better sixes in the Premier League at the moment,” he said on Kick Off for talkSPORT.

“I would say Douglas Luiz of Aston Villa, I think he can do everything that Rice can do and better. I think he assists more, he chips in with goals more than Rice.

“Creativity wise he’s better, flair is better, he can put in a tackle just like Rice, break up play just like Rice.

“So I think if someone said to me you can have Douglas Luiz for £60m or Declan Rice for £100m, easy every day of the week, Douglas Luiz.”

Luiz, formerly of Manchester City, signed for Villa in 2019 and has been a consistent feature in their midfield ever since.

Pennant believes Luiz can do what Rice does, but better

The arrival of Unai Emery has really seen him flourish and his efforts have been key to their rise up the Premier League table.

Luiz played the full 90 minutes of their huge 1-0 win over City during the week, with Villa sitting 3rd in the table as a result.

Emery and co. host Arsenal on Saturday evening and victory would take them just one point behind the league leaders.

Fans look set to be treated to a midfield battle between Rice and Luiz as both stars look to prove pivotal for their respective sides.

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By: Robert Calcutt
Title: Declan Rice would be a ‘dream’ for any team, but Aston Villa have a better no.6 than Arsenal
Sourced From: talksport.com/football/1670250/declan-rice-arsenal-douglas-luiz-better-aston-villa/
Published Date: Fri, 08 Dec 2023 13:33:52 +0000