Rio Ferdinand claim Chelsea have a player who’s better than Foden and Declan Rice this season
TNT Sports pundits Rio Ferdinand and Jermaine Jenas gave their mid-season awards ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Luton Town, live on TNT Sports. Both have been impressed by Arsenal’s Declan Rice following his big summer move from West Ham United, while Jurgen Klopp and Gary O’Neil were both hailed as the best-performing managers in the Premier League. The pair also give their 2024 predictions.
Ahead of Luton Town’s clash with Chelsea, live on TNT Sports, Jermaine Jenas and Rio Ferdinand gave their mid-season awards and both were full of praise for Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice.
The England international joined Mikel Arteta’s side for £105 million in the summer – the second biggest fee for a British player in history – and has been a revelation in north London as the Gunners push for a long-awaited title.
Jenas and Ferdinand were both lauded Rice for an impressive first half-a-season at the Emirates Stadium and couldn’t look past him as their No. 1 pick.
“I’m looking at Declan Rice, it’s difficult to ignore Declan Rice and [William] Saliba,” Jenas told TNT Sports. “I think Declan Rice in particular, his contribution, big fee on his head, a lot of pressure, a lot of eyeballs looking at him and how he’s going to deliver.
“I think if we’re looking at his performance from mid-season to now, he’s a difficult one to top.”
FERDINAND HAILS KLOPP, JENAS VOTES FOR O’NEIL AS BEST MANAGER
As for the manager of the season so far, there were some honourable mentions which included Aston Villa’s Unai Emery, Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi, and Tottenham’s Ange Postecoglou, as well as Arteta.
However, Ferdinand highlighted Jurgen Klopp as the best-performing manager so far because of the way he has turned Liverpool’s fortunes around.
The Reds have struggled to hit the same heights as they did in seasons gone by, which included a first Premier League title for the club in 2019/20, but according to Ferdinand, the German has them back on track for more title success.
“Klopp has to be the big one, I think he has turned the team around,” he claimed. “Last season they were way off it, they fell off.
“This season, top of the league more and less and looking like title challengers again.”
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