Vladimir Coufal, who used to play with Declan Rice at West Ham, believes that the English midfielder can achieve further success with Arsenal, even though they were eliminated from the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Vladimir Coufal is confident that Declan Rice will achieve success with Arsenal this season, even after their loss in the Carabao Cup to West Ham United.
Rice, who joined Arsenal for a transfer fee of £105 million after a decade at West Ham, was a successful captain for his former club, helping them win the Europa Conference League last season. Despite a strong start at the Emirates, the 24-year-old couldn’t lead Arsenal to a comeback in the Carabao Cup fourth round.
In the recent match at the London Stadium, Declan Rice came off the bench, and the crowd had mixed reactions to his entry. West Ham had a convincing 3-0 victory, with Ben White scoring an own goal and Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen adding goals in the second half. This win means West Ham will face Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup. As for Arsenal, their hopes of Carabao Cup success are gone, but Coufal believes that Rice will contribute to more silverware, building on the Community Shield he won in August.
“I believe they’ll achieve some success,” stated a former West Ham teammate of Rice. “They’ve already secured the Community Shield, so he’s got a trophy with Arsenal. Losing this game probably doesn’t bother them too much.”
Coufal also expressed his emotions watching Rice play for a different team, saying, “It was a unique experience to see him on the opposing side of the field. He’s doing an exceptional job at Arsenal, perhaps even better than when he was with us.”
“He’s an incredible player. It was a bit unusual to see him in a different team’s jersey, but we genuinely wish him the best. He even popped into our locker room to say hello and check in on us.”