Jude Bellingham fires £105m Arsenal message to Mikel with telling one-word verdict 

Jude Bellingham fires £105m Arsenal message to Mikel with telling one-word verdict

Jude Bellingham has praised the display of Declan Rice in Arsenal’s 4-0 Champions League victory against PSV with a possible positional hint for Mikel Arteta. The Gunners signed the England international this past summer in a deal worth £105million from West Ham and he has already proven to be a more than worthwhile addition to Arteta’s squad.

Having played every minute in the Premier League so far this season, Rice started Arsenal’s first Champions League game in six years. Backed by the Emirates Stadium crowd, the Gunners raced into an early lead against PSV courtesy of Bukayo Saka with Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus both scoring before half time. Captain Martin Odegaard also scored in the second half to pile more misery onto the Dutch giants.

With Arsenal in total control, Rice was brought off with just under 15 minutes to play which has given him more time to recover ahead of the North London Derby against Tottenham this Sunday. Saka, Jesus, Trossard and Oleksandr Zinchenko were also taken off during the second half to prepare them for the upcoming battle against Arsenal’s bitter rivals.

Gabriel Martinelli is a major doubt for the clash after he picked up a hamstring in the 1-0 win over Everton. Thomas Partey and Jurrien Timber are already on the injury list although Mohamed Elneny is closing in on a return after a lengthy lay-off due to a knee problem.

The absence of Partey has forced Rice to play deeper after he was given the task of playing an advanced role in the early stages of the season with Partey anchoring the midfield after inverting from right-back. The 24-year-old is more than capable of playing both positions, although it seems his England team-mate Bellingham has made it clear to Arteta which one is his best position in a social media message.

After picking up the victory, Rice posted on Instagram to celebrate with a number of action shots, captioning the post: “UCL nights [heart eyes emoji and shooting star emoji].” In response to his post, Bellingham simply replied, “general”, which is a term that certainly hints the teenager thinks Rice’s best position is at the base of midfield.

For Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions, Bellingham was often deployed alongside Rice but in the friendly victory over Scotland he was used in the No.10 role, the position given to him at Real Madrid, to great affect. Like Rice at Arsenal, Bellingham also enjoyed his Champions League debut with his new club after he scored another late winner to help the Spanish giants edge beyond Union Berlin at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.