Former Arsenal defender William Gallas has labelled Declan Rice “a monster” following his outstanding start to the campaign.

Speaking in an interview with Tribal Football, Gallas was asked about who has been the Gunners’ standout performer so far this season, and he replied:

“It is Declan Rice. He’s a monster. What he has done has put him on another level now at Arsenal, and I think he understands how important he is for the club and for the team. When you look at his performance, every game, you can see in his game that he has that powerful strength, but at the same time he controls the midfield.

“He’s very relaxed. When he has to be strong, he’s strong. When he has to be calm, to control the game, he can do that too. He can defend. He can attack as well. For me, I would say, yeah, Declan Rice right now is maybe the player who has been the best in an Arsenal shirt this season.”

Rice is at the very top of his game

The 27-year-old has not had a bad season since he arrived from West Ham in the summer of 2023, but as Gallas mentions, he has gone up another level in recent months.

Rice has been extremely consistent, and that is reflected in his FotMob rating, which is 7.76, the highest figure of any Premier League player after Gameweek 10.

Arsenal are set to hand the midfielder a new deal

Rice’s current contract expires at the end of next season, so there is some urgency to get him tied down for the long term. It was reported back in September that the Premier League champions had begun talks over an extension.

It is believed that the England international will be given a salary rise that would make him the club’s joint highest earner, along with Bukayo Saka, who takes home more than £300,000 a week.