Roy Hodgson admits that every Premier League manager is looking for a player like Declan Rice to be a mainstay of their team as he prepares his Crystal Palace side to face the England midfielder on Monday.
The 24-year-old’s £105m move from West Ham to Arsenal last month made him one of only four players in his position to have been bought by European clubs for nine figures in the past eight months. sides to the central midfielders soared.
Rice is part of an elite group that includes World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez and his new Chelsea teammate Moises Caicedo, both signed by the Blues for record-breaking fees in Britain, and Englishman Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in July . was signed for fees that could exceed £100 million.
Michael Olis. Crystal Palace.
Four years
— Crystal Palace FC (@CPFC) August 17, 2023
Hodgson’s Palace started the Premier League season with a 1-0 win over Sheffield United but faced a crucible when last year’s runners-up arrived at Selhurst Park. his return to the Champions League.
Experienced manager Hodgson said that while great scorers still receive the highest purses, the importance of the deep central midfielder has been proven by the most successful teams in English football.
“I think he (the central midfielder) has always been great,” Hodgson said. “I don’t think it’s anything new. You can never line him up with a center forward because the center forwards will always be right there like the really big ones.
“It’s still Neymar and (Kylian) Mbappe who are over our one hundred million pounds here. Harry Kane, yes, he was worth a little over a hundred million (when he signed with Bayern), but only because he was in the last year of his contract. If he had a three-year contract, Tottenham would have asked for a lot more money. They score goals. Goal game.
“But I think midfield is an area where people in football have always understood the importance of it and the importance of bringing in good players, especially Sir Alex (Ferguson) at Manchester United because he has always had very, very good players. first-class players in the center of midfield, they all brought him trophies.
“(Rice) is strong, he has energy, he understands the game very well. He goes from box to box, and when he’s in each box, he does a really good job. He knows how to defend and he also knows how to score, so he’s the kind of player everyone is looking for.”
Hodgson was pleased that winger Michael Oliz turned down a chance to join Chelsea last week after Mauricio Pochettino’s side activated a £35m buyout clause.
The France under-21 international, who was signed by Palace two years ago from Reading for a relatively modest £8m and has since developed into a seasoned Premier League player, has opted instead to sign a new four-year deal to continue his development in south London.
He will be out of Hodgson’s squad to face Arsenal as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.
However, it was Arsenal’s transfer business that caught Hodgson’s attention ahead of Monday’s game, with Rice set to make his second Premier League start as the Gunners look to improve even further and take the crown from champions Manchester City.
“It was an interesting development for him,” the manager said. “I myself followed him a bit through (James) Tomkins, (who) told me about him many years ago. He said that there is a very good young player at West Ham and I saw that when he left.
“He really finished his apprenticeship moving up the ranks. He spent his years at West Ham getting better every year and eventually becoming an international and the clubs (thinking) ‘Who can I find who is best for his particular job in this role? »
“Declan Rice’s name will always be at the top of the list, as of course Bellingham is at Real Madrid.