Declan Rice New Contract: Why He Is Worth Every Penny to Arsenal.

Give him the pen and let him write the number himself. That's where I am on Declan Rice's new contract, and I doubt I'm the only Gooner who feels that way.

Rice is close to signing a new long-term deal at Arsenal that would make him the club's joint-highest earner. BBC Sport reports talks are in the final stages, with his wage set to jump from around £240,000 a week to approximately £350,000, level with Bukayo Saka. Some will look at that figure and wince. I look at it and still think that for Declan Rice, we're paying half price.

I'll say it plainly. There isn't a midfielder on the planet I'd swap him for. Rice wins the ball back, carries it through the lines, covers ground nobody else can and still finds the legs to pop up in the opposition box. He tops the charts for both ball carries and forward ball-carrying progression among Premier League central-midfielders.

Play him as the deepest man in midfield or further forward on the left of a three, where last season he was the only Premier League midfielder to reach over 100 carries into the opposition's half, and he's world class at both. The funny thing is people knock him for his line breaking passing ability, yet so far this season only Bruno Fernandes has more in the final-third than the Arsenal star.

When the big nights come, he turns up. Ask Real Madrid. Two free kicks in a Champions League quarter-final in April 2025, and every Arsenal fan watching will remember where they were.

You can't put a price on what he brings to that dressing room. He leads by example, never hides when things get tough and drags teammates with him when the game needs it. Off the pitch he's exactly what you want representing the club. No drama, no headlines for the wrong reasons, just someone who lives for the badge.

England see it too. He's Thomas Tuchel's vice-captain, has 80 caps and was part of the side that finished third at this summer's World Cup.

Never forget how he got here. In 2023, Manchester City wanted him, and they'd just won the treble. Rice still had his heart set on Arsenal and he came to win titles with us rather than add another medal to a pile.

He knew what a league title would mean at Arsenal compared to Man City, and last season he helped deliver it, right at the heart of ending a 22-year wait. If that doesn't earn you a pay rise, nothing does.

This is bigger than one contract. The news comes a day after Mikel Arteta committed his future until 2030. Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhǎes and Myles Lewis-Skelly have already signed up, with Martin Ødegaard, Jürrien Timber and David Raya to soon follow suit, you'd imagine.

That's the spine of a champion side giving their peak years to this project. Rice is 27, and this deal should carry him through his best seasons in an Arsenal shirt.

For anyone moaning about the money, look around the league. Erling Haaland reportedly earns around £500,000 a week at Man City, with Virgil van Dijk on about £400,000 at Liverpool. Arsenal are not overpaying. We are paying our best player like one of the best in the world, because he is.

One title was the dream. Now it's about winning again and again, with players who actually want to be here. Rice is the pillar this team is built on. Pay the man, and let's go and win some more.