{"id":260,"date":"2026-03-27T14:10:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T14:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=260"},"modified":"2026-03-27T14:10:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T14:10:17","slug":"arsenal-news-declan-rice-transfer-conundrum-as-mikel-arteta-told-his-talisman-is-lost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=260","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal news: Declan Rice transfer conundrum as Mikel Arteta told his talisman is &#8216;lost&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_357b96\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Mikel Arteta must ensure his Arsenal team bounce back from their crushing Carabao Cup final defeat as transfer and tactical issues have emerged<\/h2>\n<p><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"35941630\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Mikel Arteta and Arsenal's wait for a trophy drags on\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article35941630.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/7_Untitled-1.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article35941630.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/7_Untitled-1.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article35941630.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/7_Untitled-1.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article35941630.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/7_Untitled-1.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Mikel Arteta and Arsenal's wait for a trophy drags on\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Mikel Arteta and Arsenal&#8217;s wait for a trophy drags on<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Arsenal remain under fire for their style of play following their disappointing Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Mikel Arteta&#8217;s team endured a 2-0 defeat at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, spending large portions of the second half under pressure. The Gunners&#8217; pursuit of four different trophies ended in frustration, with their attacking issues exposed once more at a pivotal moment in the campaign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">After the international break, Arsenal must regroup and ensure the psychological impact of this setback doesn&#8217;t derail their Premier League title bid. They currently hold a nine-point advantage over City, who have a game in hand, while they also face an FA Cup quarter-final trip to Southampton and a Champions League quarter-final against Sporting CP. Here&#8217;s all the latest news from the Emirates Stadium.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36907706\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36907706\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Declan Rice looks dejected for Arsenal\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36907706.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/2_GettyImages-2267454826.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36907706.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/2_GettyImages-2267454826.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36907706.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/2_GettyImages-2267454826.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36907706.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/2_GettyImages-2267454826.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Declan Rice cut a frustrated figure as Arsenal watched Manchester City lift the Carabao Cup\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Declan Rice cut a frustrated figure as Arsenal watched Manchester City lift the Carabao Cup<cite aria-label=\"Image: AFP or licensors\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: AFP or licensors)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">JOIN US ON FB!<\/strong><a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thedailystarsport#\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">  Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"HeadingThree_heading-three__PBHLs  __className_357b96\">Rice transfer issue<\/h3>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">England legend Chris Waddle has raised doubts over whether Arsenal require Sandro Tonali&#8217;s signature given they already possess Declan Rice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The Gunners were strongly connected with a January swoop for Tonali after Mikel Merino&#8217;s injury, but Newcastle refused to sanction the departure of one of their star performers, reports <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/sport\/football\/news\/arsenal-sandro-tonali-rice-saka-36921826\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">the Mirror<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Nevertheless, both Arsenal and Manchester United remain connected with the Newcastle midfielder, 25, who carries a valuation of approximately \u00a3100m.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Despite the Italian&#8217;s evident talent, Waddle contends Arsenal don&#8217;t require the player considering how comparable he is in his approach to Rice.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36893596\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36893596\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.52\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sandro Tonali of Newcastle warming up\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36893596.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/1_Barcelona-v-Newcastle-United-UEFA-Champions-League-Round-of-Sixteen-Second-Leg-Spotify-Camp.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36893596.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/1_Barcelona-v-Newcastle-United-UEFA-Champions-League-Round-of-Sixteen-Second-Leg-Spotify-Camp.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36893596.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/1_Barcelona-v-Newcastle-United-UEFA-Champions-League-Round-of-Sixteen-Second-Leg-Spotify-Camp.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36893596.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/1_Barcelona-v-Newcastle-United-UEFA-Champions-League-Round-of-Sixteen-Second-Leg-Spotify-Camp.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Sandro Tonali continues to be the subject of speculation\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Sandro Tonali continues to be the subject of speculation<cite aria-label=\"Image: PA\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: PA)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Waddle told FootballTransfers: &#8220;They&#8217;ve got Declan Rice and they&#8217;ve got Martin Zubimendi, who&#8217;s a very good player. But Arsenal seem to collect players.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Tonali has had a couple of great seasons, he&#8217;s got better this season. He&#8217;s a good age and I&#8217;m not surprised there&#8217;s a lot of clubs interested in him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;He&#8217;s a very economical player, he&#8217;s a little bit like Declan Rice, let&#8217;s be honest, he&#8217;s very consistent with his pass ratio, he&#8217;s got a good shot and he&#8217;s got a good engine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;In my mind, he&#8217;s a very similar player to Declan Rice, though. Do Arsenal really need another player like that? I know squads strengthen every year and that&#8217;s how football moves on.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"HeadingThree_heading-three__PBHLs  __className_357b96\">Saka &#8216;lost&#8217;<\/h3>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36907083\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36907083\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.51\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Bukayo Saka applauds Arsenal fans after their Carabao Cup final defeat\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36907083.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/1_GettyImages-2267859844.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36907083.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/1_GettyImages-2267859844.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36907083.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/1_GettyImages-2267859844.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36907083.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/1_GettyImages-2267859844.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Bukayo Saka applauds Arsenal fans after their Carabao Cup final defeat\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Bukayo Saka applauds Arsenal fans after their Carabao Cup final defeat<cite aria-label=\"Image: Getty\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Getty)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Manchester United icon Paul Scholes has attributed Arsenal&#8217;s tactical approach for Bukayo Saka&#8217;s difficulties this campaign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Saka&#8217;s statistics this season have markedly declined compared to the previous term, with the England winger recording merely nine goal involvements across all competitions thus far.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">He was again subdued in the recent Carabao Cup final loss, which analyst Scholes attributes to Arsenal&#8217;s inability to construct attacks properly, resulting in Saka scarcely receiving possession in threatening positions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Scholes commented on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast: &#8220;Their better players just weren&#8217;t performing. You talk about these forward players not performing but you have to look at your midfield players and your centre-halves, they couldn&#8217;t get the ball to them.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36857740\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36857740\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Bukayo Saka\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36857740.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Bayer-04-Leverkusen-v-Arsenal-FC-UEFA-Champions-League-202526-Round-of-16-First-Leg.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36857740.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_Bayer-04-Leverkusen-v-Arsenal-FC-UEFA-Champions-League-202526-Round-of-16-First-Leg.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36857740.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_Bayer-04-Leverkusen-v-Arsenal-FC-UEFA-Champions-League-202526-Round-of-16-First-Leg.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/article36857740.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Bayer-04-Leverkusen-v-Arsenal-FC-UEFA-Champions-League-202526-Round-of-16-First-Leg.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Bukayo Saka has struggled to make an impact this season\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Bukayo Saka has struggled to make an impact this season<cite aria-label=\"Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Did you see the bit where Bernardo Silva sprinted out to try to stop it going for a corner? Even when you&#8217;re playing against it, you don&#8217;t want to give it away.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;It&#8217;s almost like playing against Stoke what we did years ago, sometimes because the throw-ins were that good the manager told us to kick it out for a corner because of (Rory) Delap, because the delivery is not as good.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;What we&#8217;re saying is, I think they&#8217;ve become obsessed with it. They&#8217;ve forgotten about the other way that they can actually score goals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;They&#8217;ve got good players. You&#8217;ve got Saka who looks lost at the minute because they can&#8217;t get the ball to him, more than anything, he&#8217;s got great ability.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mikel Arteta must ensure his Arsenal team bounce back from their crushing Carabao Cup final defeat as transfer and tactical issues have emerged Mikel Arteta and Arsenal&#8217;s wait for a trophy drags on Arsenal remain under fire for their style of play following their disappointing Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City. Mikel Arteta&#8217;s team [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=260"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}