I've looked at Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires, but Declan Rice is our best signing since Dennis Bergkamp.
Piers Morgan doesn't usually admit he's wrong, but he's happy when it comes to Arsenal.
The famous Gunners fan was as stunned as anyone by the team's form in 2024, particularly after their three-week winter break.
Since dismantling Crystal Palace 5-0 on January 20, Arsenal They won their next five Premier League games and totaled 24 goals scored and only three conceded in that run.
They also far surpassed their rivals for the title. Liverpool during that stretch, and they are back in the fight for the league crown.
Explaining what the deciding factor has been, Morgan told talkSPORT: “If you ask me, above all, what the difference has been, it's Declan Rice.
“I think he was the best signing Arsenal have made since Denis Bergkamp in the mid-90s.
“Last season we suffocated the league because we didn't have the right type of players with the right mentality.
“I think putting Declan Rice in front of the defense has made it purr, the goalkeeper (David Raya) has shown that (Mikel) Arteta's faith in him was right. I think if we put it all together, Arsenal have a better team and a better mentality last season and are playing football that is downright brilliant.
“I say this as someone who at the end of last year thought it was all over. I thought we were out of it and the team was falling apart. Since that mid-season break, the football has been fascinating both in front and behind.”
Rice joined in the summer for a club-record £105million from West Ham, and so far he appears to have been worth every penny.
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However, Morgan is very impressed with how Arteta has proven many wrong with his signing. Kai Havertz.
The German arrived from Chelsea in the summer for a whopping £65million, but after a difficult start, he has now found his groove.
“In the first part of the season (Bukayo) Saka and (Gabriel) Martinelli were being neutralized by teams that put two players on them, so Arteta brought Havertz up front with (Leandro) Trossard and suddenly you have four. of them milling around the front,” Morgan added.
“It is almost impossible to defend against them and suddenly we are scoring goals up front, that is a tactical masterstroke from Arteta.
“I wouldn't have trusted Kai Havertz to be Arsenal's leader, but I think most fans like myself have come to simply trust the process.
“Whether it's Raya in defense when I was a big (Aaron) Ramsdale fan, or Havertz as the link for all these attackers, there's no doubt it works.”
