Declan Rice has sent a clear message to Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo ahead of Sunday’s Premier League showdown at Stamford Bridge, declaring he is ‘ready’ for the midfield battle.
Arsenal travel to west London as league leaders, six points ahead of second-placed Chelsea, with both Rice and Caicedo enjoying standout seasons that have sparked debate over who is the superior player.
Gary Neville has argued that Caicedo is now the best midfielder in the division, while Jamie Carragher insists Rice holds the edge.
Speaking to CBS Sports, Rice made sure to underline his admiration for his rival. “First and foremost, I have a lot of respect for Moises,” he said.
“I’ve played against him since his Brighton days, since I was at West Ham. I voted him last year in my PFA Team of the Year, I thought he was outstanding last year, and he started this year incredibly well as well. And there’s so much comparisons between us but we are playing different positions. He’s a full-blown six and I’m more box-to-box eight.”
Rice added: ‘So that Sunday is going to be an interesting game, but I think the most important thing is that I have a lot of respect for him as a player like Roy [Keane] and Patrick [Vieira] did. And yeah, it’s an exciting battle between us, and it’s one that I’ll be ready for.”
The two midfielders arrived in the Premier League’s elite bracket in the same summer of 2023, with Arsenal paying £105 million to bring Rice from West Ham and Chelsea splashing £115 million to sign Caicedo from Brighton.
