‘Massive player’… Sam Allardyce says 24-year-old Arsenal player could be the difference this season

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Arsenal look closer to being title challengers now than they have at any point in the past 20 years.

The Gunners are top of the table, and after a dramatic win against Luton on Tuesday, many are starting to think that the north London club do indeed have what it takes to win the title.

Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast, Sam Allardyce has been reviewing Arsenal’s title credentials, and he reckons that the Gunners do have one player who will make a huge difference in the run-in.

Indeed, Allardyce says that Declan Rice will make a huge difference for Arsenal this season, claiming that he’s going to be a massive player for their title push.

Rice will make the difference

Allardyce shared his verdict on the 24-year-old.

“They have one man who will make a huge difference in Declan Rice. A massive, massive player, so they are better prepared and then it’s strength and depth in squad, they still have a lot of youngsters who make a contribution to their squad,” Allardyce said.

Remains to be seen

Allardyce says that Rice will make the difference for Arsenal this season, and while that may be true, it remains to be seen whether or not he can.

Rice is clearly a good player and he can step up in the big moments just as he did on Tuesday, but the pressure of a Premier League title run-in is unlike anything Rice has experienced before.

With all due respect, before this season, Rice had only played for West Ham United, and while he did play in some big games for the Hammers, it was nothing that came close to the furnace of pressure that is a tightly-contested title race in the final weeks of a season.

Rice could be the difference for Arsenal, but we won’t know whether he’s up to this task until it’s staring him in the face.