Robert Pires says Arsenal star is in ‘same bracket’ as Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira

Robert Pires won two Premier League titles at Arsenal and says a current player would not look out of place alongside his Invincible teammates.

Pires was part of the last Arsenal side to win the league title but Mikel Arteta’s Gunners look well-placed to end the club’s 22-year wait for the Premier League trophy.

While Arsenal could only draw 0-0 with Liverpool in their last league game, the Emirates Stadium stalemate still saw the north Londoners extend their lead at the top of the table to six points.

Central to Arsenal’s title push and consistent success in recent years has been Declan Rice and Pires believes the England midfielder is in the same bracket as club legends Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira.

Rice has hardly missed a game for Arsenal since his £105m move from West Ham in 2023 and was named the club’s Player of the Season last year.

‘If you want to lift the trophy at the end of the season you need a player like Declan Rice,’ Pires, one of Arsene Wenger’s best and most shrewd Arsenal signings, told Sky Sports.

‘You need a Patrick Vieira, a Thierry Henry, a Tony Adams… and Declan Rice is in the same circle, yes.’

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Discussing Arsenal’s pursuit of a long-awaited Premier League title, Pires added: ‘I’m always positive. I always have a good mood and a good energry when I come back to Arsenal.’

Rice has also attracted praise from former Manchester United captain Roy Keane, who recently hailed him as ‘one of the top players in the world’.

‘He seems a pretty humble guy but he’s also got a bit of confidence about him, you need a little bit of an ego to play for a big club,’ Keane said on Sky Sports before Arsenal’s draw with Liverpool last week.

‘You look at his career and he obviously did a brilliant job for West Ham and now at Arsenal he’s surrounded by better players.

‘His role has changed a bit, he’s getting forward a lot more. We always thought he had goals in him because his technique is that good and he’s a smart player.

‘Is he one of the top players in the world now? I do think he is, given what he’s doing at Arsenal and of course with England as well.

‘A lot of plaudits to Declan, I think he’s a top player and makes the players around him better as well.’

Arsenal put their Premier League title charge on hold at the weekend as the FA Cup took centre stage and booked their place in the fourth round with a 4-1 win over Portsmouth.

Gabriel Martinelli scored his first senior hat-trick at Fratton Park as the Premier League leaders proved far too strong for Championship strugglers Pompey.

The Gunners face a tricky end to January, starting on Wednesday when they face London rivals Chelsea in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.

A Champions League clash with 2025 finalists Inter Milan is sandwiched between key Premier League fixtures against Nottingham Forest and Manchester United.

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