‘What you need’: Gabby Agbonlahor says Tottenham have made a better signing than Declan Rice

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Who has been the signing of the summer so far?

Every fan of every club will probably have a different answer. Chelsea fans will tell you it’s Moises Caicedo, Liverpool fans will tell you it’s Alexis Mac Allister and Newcastle fans would tell you it’s Sandro Tonali.

There are a few players you could call signing of the summer so far, but two of the most eye-catching have certainly been at Tottenham and Arsenal.

Indeed, James Maddison and Declan Rice have been two of the most exciting signings of the summer thus far, and according to Gabriel Agbonlahor, speaking on TalkSPORT, Maddison is actually the better signing.

Agbonlahor was tasked with naming his top five signings of the window so far, and, as you can imagine, Maddison had a place on this list, but, interestingly, there was no room for Rice.

Maddison the better signing

Agbonlahor gave his verdict on the Spurs midfielder and the Arsenal star.

“Number four, James Maddison, he is the player Spurs have been missing. I watched him for years. I watched him against Brentford. He just wants the ball, he’s addicted to the ball. That’s what you need, a number 10 who wants the ball all the time, wants to make things happen, he has a set-piece in him, has a goal in him, he has a great touch, that’s the player Spurs have been crying out for since they lost Eriksen,” Agbonlahor said.

The pundit would later make it clear why Declan Rice wasn’t in his top five.

“It actually wasn’t Declan Rice, no he doesn’t (make my top five), he is an outstanding player and he will help that Arsenal side a lot, but that Arsenal team will be helped by the goals of Saka, Martinelli, Jesus, Nketiah. Rice will have a key role breaking up play, not going forward as much in certain games.”

Time will tell

After one game this season, it certainly looks as though Maddison could be a more impactful signing than Rice, but, then again, it has only been one game.

Rice will really show his quality in the big matches where he is required to grit his teeth and put in a defensive masterclass, not against Nottingham Forest where he doesn’t have too much to do.

Meanwhile, a game like Brentford away is really set up for Maddison to shine as Spurs would hope to dominate possession and attack in waves.