Arsenal believe Declan Rice has the 'potential to suddenly explode' if boss Mikel Arteta makes a key decision at the Emirates Stadium, journalist Ben Jacobs has told GIVEMESPORT.
Rice was among the fresh faces to head to north London as the Gunners spent more than £200million during the summer transfer window, and he has wasted no time in making his presence felt in his new surroundings.
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Arsenal have put a long-term plan in place for Rice to be given more license to attack in the coming years, according to TEAMtalk, with there being an expectation that he will put up improved numbers in terms of goals and assists as his influence within the team grows.
The report suggests the capital club have set their sights on beating the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Barcelona to the signing of Royal Antwerp's Arthur Vermeeren - who has already made 15 appearances during the early stages of the campaign - as they feel the 18-year-old will help to unlock the England international's full potential.
Rice became Arsenal's club-record signing when he completed a £105million switch from London rivals West Ham just a matter of weeks after winning the Europa Conference League - the first trophy of his career - and he has already become one of the first names on the team sheet.
The 24-year-old has made 11 appearances for Arteta's side and been in the starting XI for every Premier League fixture so far this season, while he opened his goalscoring account for the Gunners by finding the back of the net against Manchester United last month.Rice's form in an Arsenal shirt led to transfer insider Dean Jones recently telling GIVEMESPORT that he 'would have made a massive difference' if he had joined the Red Devils, who were linked with his signature, during the summer.
Arsenal's top five performers in the Premier League this season by average match ratings
Bukayo Saka
7.74
Declan Rice
7.26
Martin Odegaard
7.20
Gabriel Martinelli
7.03
Thomas Partey
6.95
All figures according to WhoScored
Ben Jacobs update - Declan Rice
Jacobs believes Arsenal could look for Rice to follow in the footsteps of England teammate Jude Bellingham, who has become even more of an attacking threat after swapping Borussia Dortmund for Real Madrid ahead of the current campaign.
The respected journalist understands the north Londoners are confident the defensive midfielder will take his game to another level if Arteta makes the critical decision to push him higher up the pitch.
Jacobs told GIVEMESPORT:
"I would be reticent to compare Rice and Bellingham directly. But the point of saying this is that if you look at Bellingham at Dortmund, he scored eight league goals over the course of 31 games in his final season. At Real Madrid, he has been given more license to push forwards and be more explosive. He sees more of the ball and has others working on the ball for him, which allows him to create more space than at Dortmund.
"He has already got eight goals in La Liga, which is the same total as he got in the Bundesliga at Dortmund last season, but in way fewer games.
"I think Arsenal feel like, to some extent, Rice has that potential to suddenly explode in an attacking sense if he is given that freedom.
"It wouldn't surprise me if he is given a bit more freedom and trialled in a more advanced position, especially because others in that central attacking midfield role - when utilised - haven't always excelled."Will Rice become an attacking threat for Arsenal?
Rice's influence in the final third of the pitch has grown over the years, with Transfermarkt data highlighting last season was his best goalscoring campaign in the Premier League, having found the back of the net four times.
The Kingston-upon-Thames-born ace headed to Arsenal having got his name on the scoresheet 15 times in a West Ham shirt, with the first of those coming against his current employers, and provided a further 13 assists for his teammates along the way.
Reputable reporter Paul Brown recently told GIVEMESPORT that Rice is a fast learner who is very intelligent and has 'incredible drive and determination', which emphasises that he is capable of adopting a more advanced role than he has become accustomed to.
The £240,000-per-week earner, who penned a five-year contract when he arrived at the Emirates Stadium, has already got off the mark in his new surroundings and he has previously admitted a wish to become a regular goalscorer.
Prior to his final campaign on West Ham's books, Rice set himself a target of finding the back of the net 10 times each season as he looks to continue his development, and a slight positional change could make all the difference.
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