"That will make Arsenal much better" - Teddy Sheringham names Gunners star who will benefit the most playing with Declan Rice

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Teddy Sheringham has opined that Martin Odegaard will become even more dangerous after Declan Rice's arrival at Arsenal.

The Gunners splashed a club-record fee of £105 million to sign Rice from West Ham United this month. He has penned a five-year deal at the club and is expected to be a fixed starter at the heart of Mikel Arteta's midfield.

Rice is a defensive midfielder who specializes in shielding his centre-backs and breaking up attacks. Sheringham believes he will allow Odegaard to forego some of his defensive duties and focus on the final third of the pitch even more.

The pundit told Lord Ping (h/t Metro):

"I think that Declan Rice is a fantastic player that will make Arsenal much better. He can come into the team and perform the roles of two players – he can be Xhaka and Partey in one for Arsenal and that frees up their creative players to really hurt teams.

"You can see how his addition will make Odegaard an even more dangerous player. He will open up Arsenal’s attacking potential even more. I think he is a fantastic acquisition for Arsenal, unfortunately."

Odegaard had a remarkable individual season in the Premier League last term, scoring 15 times and laying out eight assists in 37 games. However, the 24-year-old skipper couldn't guide his team to the league title despite topping the table for 248 days.

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Arteta explains why Declan Rice missed Arsenal's latest friendly game

Mikel Arteta stated that a minor injury prevented Declan Rice from featuring in Arsenal's 5-3 pre-season friendly win against Barcelona on July 27.

The Englishman featured in his team's 5-0 win against MLS All-Stars and started in the Gunners' 2-0 loss against Manchester United earlier this month. But he wasn't fit to participate in his team's final pre-season game in the USA.

Explaining why the 24-year-old wasn't in the squad to face Barcelona, Arteta explained, via Football.London:

"Dec had quite a strong kick in training so we didn’t want to take the risk. He wasn’t really comfortable to train yesterday and we decided not to train."

Arsenal have two more commitments before they start the Premier League season. The Gunners face AS Monaco in the Emirates Cup on August 2 at home before taking on Manchester City in the FA Community Shield four days later.