Gary Lineker has claimed that Arsenal have a player who’s better than Chelsea duo Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.
Mikel Arteta’s men proved to be a class above Chelsea on Tuesday evening as they thrashed their London rivals 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
Leandro Trossard opened the scoring inside five minutes and despite some bright moments for the Blues in the opening period, it was total domination from Arsenal after the break.
Kai Havertz and Ben White both netted a brace to earn the Gunners a 5-0 win.
It’s no secret that Chelsea have spent big over the past couple of years, with the likes of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez arriving for huge fees.
Indeed, the Blues spent £115 million to land Caicedo last summer and splashed out £106.8 million to secure the signing of Fernandez last year.
Arsenal haven’t been shy of investing in Arteta’s squad either, with Declan Rice arriving at the Emirates for a fee worth £105 million last summer.
Despite both sides investing heavily in the middle of the park, Ally McCoist labelled it a ‘mismatch’ in midfield on Tuesday night.
Lineker says Declan Rice is better than Caicedo and Fernandez
Speaking on Match of the Day, Lineker discussed both side’s £100 million plus signings.
The former Tottenham legend suggested that Arsenal got the better deal by landing Rice from West Ham.
“He is probably the best of the three £100 million central midfielders,” Lineker said.
Rice outperforming Chelsea duo
It’s quite apparent that Rice is currently performing at a higher level than both Caicedo and Fernandez.
That’s partly down to the fact that Arsenal are a superior side to Chelsea at the moment. But Rice deserves plenty of credit for how quickly he’s adapted to Arteta’s demands.
On Tuesday evening, Rice picked up a 7.8 match rating from Sofascore and his numbers reflect what was yet another impressive display.
- 90 minutes played
- 1 assist
- 33/38 passes completed
- 1 key pass
- 6 ground duels won
- 2 clearances
- 2 interceptions
- 5 tackles
As for Caicedo, he picked up a 6.5 rating and Fernandez earned a 6.1 after their displays at the Emirates.
Both Chelsea stars clearly have huge potential and the hope for Pochettino’s side will be that the duo improve.
But for the time being, it’s difficult to disagree with Lineker’s comments and Rice has proved to be key in Arsenal’s push for a Premier League title this term.
