Graeme Souness believes Declan Rice is ‘overhyped’ and is not worth the £100m Arsenal paid for him… as Liverpool icon explains why the England star isn’t ‘world class’

Liverpool legend Graeme Souness believes Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice to be ‘overhyped’ and not worth the £100million the Gunners shelled out for him.

Souness revealed that the significant transfer fee the Gunners paid to secure the Englishman’s move from West Ham is partly responsible for Rice being overhyped.

Rice’s transfer to Arsenal was announced in July 2023 for a deal worth £105million, including £5million in add-ons.

The Gunners, particularly Mikel Arteta, were eager to sign the player, who had expressed his desire to leave the Hammers. However, their two initial bids were rejected, resulting in one of the biggest transfer sagas of the last summer.

However, speaking on Three Up Front, William Hill’s new podcast featuring Simon Jordan and Troy Deeney, Souness said: ‘When you talk about players who are overhyped, you also have to factor in transfer fees, and Declan Rice comes to mind.

Souness highlights the transfer fee Arsenal paid for the player is partly responsible for Rice being overhyped

Arsenal clinched the £105m signing of the England star from West Ham in July 2023

‘I don’t think he is worth the £100million that Arsenal paid for him.’ 

The 24-year-old player’s transfer became the third most expensive in Premier League history, following Grealish’s move to Manchester City and Enzo Fernandez’s signing to Chelsea in January 2023.

Throughout the previous campaign, Rice was featured as a regular starter for Arteta’s side, making 51 appearances and scoring seven goals in all competitions.

Despite difficult circumstances, especially with Granit Xhaka leaving, many Arsenal fans believed that Rice justified his worth to the team.

Following a successful season, the 24-year-old featured in all of England’s Euro 2024 games, performing well in most matches but delivering a poor performance in the final against Spain.

The 24-year-old midfielder had a highly successful season for both Arsenal and England national team

Souness mentions Manchester City midfielder Jack Grealish as another ‘overhyped’ player

Souness was quick to bring up another English player, Jack Grealish, and he thinks that Manchester City overpaid for him.

‘I would also mention Jack Grealish in that conversation,’ the Scot added before he clarified the criteria for becoming an overhyped player: ‘£100million is a lot of money, and for that, you’re looking at signing a world-class footballer.

‘My definition of that is someone who gets into any team in the world. I think there are only a handful of world-class players in the Premier League at any one time.’