Football pundit Jamie Carragher is convinced that Arsenal ‘all-rounder’ Declan Rice is a superior midfielder than Chelsea star Moises Caicedo.
Rice has impressed since joining Arsenal from West Ham for £105m in the summer of 2023 and is regarded as one of the best midfielders in England.
The same is true for 23-year-old Ecuador international Caicedo, who moved to Chelsea in a £115m deal from Brighton two years ago.
Caicedo has shined at the start of the 2025-26 campaign, conjuring up three goals across Chelsea’s opening seven Premier League matches.
Rice has also registered a number of brilliant performances, with three assists and a goal in Arsenal’s seven top-flight games this term.
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While Gary Neville has declared that Caicedo is ‘the best midfield player in the league’, Carragher disagreed, arguing that Rice is the better midfielder.
‘[Caicedo] is very close [but] he wouldn’t be the best for me,’ Carragher said on Sky Sports.
‘If you are talking all-round midfielder, Declan Rice would just pip Caicedo for me, I think he’s just got a little bit of extra quality with the ball.’
Fellow pundit Neville, meanwhile, said: [Caicedo is] the best midfield player in the league at this moment in time.
‘And I think I’m comfortable saying that. [Ryan] Gravenberch last season, and maybe Declan Rice and Rodri obviously, for the last few years.
‘But now, I think at this time, we can say that Caicedo is the best midfield player in the league, and he’s performing like that.’
Caicedo was recently compared to Chelsea legends N’Golo Kante and Claude Makelele.
‘It’s so good the fans love me, but for sure I am very far from Kante or Makelele,’ Caicedo said.
‘What they did here was a lot. I am going to keep working because I want to become a legend here and reach a lot of things with this amazing club.’
Caicedo has won two trophies since joining Chelsea – with the Blues clinching the Conference League title and Club World Cup title in 2025.
Rice, meanwhile, helped Arsenal win the Community Shield two years ago.
Caicedo has played a total of 107 games for Chelsea to date, registering six goals and 10 assists.
Rice has made 113 appearances for Arsenal, conjuring up 17 goals and 23 assists.