“They have obviously paid way too much for him.”
Roy Keane said that Arsenal have paid too much for Declan Rice ahead of the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday afternoon.
The Gunners beat Manchester City on penalties after the match ended 1-1, and Rice started in midfield for his new team.
Arsenal paid £105m to sign the England midfielder from West Ham, a record for an English player. Keane, however, feels the Gunners overpaid for the former Republic of Ireland international.
Roy Keane: Arsenal paid too much for Declan Rice.
“He is obviously going to be surrounded by better players, different demands,” Keane said on ITV.
“If he is going to play a little higher up the pitch, I can think he definitely has that quality in terms of getting at more goals to him, he’s obviously got that physical strength, and he can get in the box.
“They have obviously paid way too much for him. He’s certainly not worth over £100 million! But a really good player. We will find out over the next year or two how good Declan is.
“He turns up every week, he is a big strong boy. We have talked about that physicality, they lacked that in the last month or two. Has he got that really top quality in terms of seeing a pass and getting nine or 10 goals? We’ll soon find out.”
"They paid way too much for him!" 👀
"He's certainly not worth over £100 million!" 😳
Roy Keane gives his thoughts on Declan Rice's move to Arsenal…
🎤 @markpougatch | @emmahayes1 pic.twitter.com/bP5bEVTcbH
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) August 6, 2023
Keane also cast doubt over whether Arsenal can topple Man City and win the Premier League this season.
“A lot of people talk a good game and where they need to improve, but the proof is in the pudding,” Keane said on ITV.
“They got themselves into a decent position last year, but they came up short physically and mentally, strength in depth.
“When the going gets tough, we will see if they are in the same position and if they can learn from it. The next step for Arsenal is to [win the Premier League], that’s the biggest step, getting yourself into the top-four is fine like (Manchester) United last year, there was going to be an improvement. But if you talk about winning league titles, that’s always going to be the hardest one. Close is not good enough.”
First game of the season and Roy Keane already isn't having any of it…😂pic.twitter.com/VF6FbIfNYQ
— Pure Roy Keane (@PureRoyKeane) August 6, 2023
“I’m not sure yet,” Keane said when asked if Arsenal can match Man City.
“Just because they finished second last year and strengthened their squad with good signings, doesn’t automatically mean you’re going to make that next step.
“They’ll learn from their mistakes of course and they’ve now got strength in depth.”
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