Sunderland star in awe of ‘really special’ Gunners man who’s favourite to win prestigious award
Sunderland midfielder Noah Sadiki has lavished special praise on an Arsenal ace, and the Gunners man is currently the favorite to win a major individual award.
Sadiki has made an instant impact in the Premier League since arriving from Belgian club Union SG last summer. The combative central midfielder has been a mainstay of Régis Le Bris’ side and his early appearances have even sparked talk of a quick exit to Manchester United at the end of the season.
Sadiki had the opportunity to test himself against the league’s best on Saturday afternoon when his Sunderland side took on Arsenal.
For Sadiki to help his team produce a positive result, he needed to get the better of his direct counterpart in the Arsenal XI – Declan Rice.
Unfortunately for the 21-year-old, the Gunners proved too strong and advanced their title hopes by securing all three points.
But speaking before the match, Sadiki was well aware of the challenge he faced when speaking about the Arsenal and England midfield.
“Rice is really special to play against one-on-one,” Sadiki told the Belgian media outlet. Voetbal Primeur.
“At first I was wondering: am I running as much as him? He runs a lot, but he also runs fast. He always chooses the right pass, he does everything at the right pace, you see.
“Only good players play in the Premier League, it’s really impressive.”
Much has been made of the colossal £105million fee (including extras) that Rice cost when he was bought from West Ham.
Yet, if he wasn’t already, he quickly proved himself to be one of the best midfielders in the league and his overall game has developed since his arrival in north London.
And with Arsenal hot favorites to win their first Premier League title since 2004, the PFA Player of the Year award is likely to go to one of their stars.
As it stands, Rice is the heavy favorite to win this prestigious honor. In doing so, he would become the first Arsenal star to win the award since Robin van Persie in 2012.
Want more groundbreaking transfer lines from original sources? Add TEAMtalk as preferred source on Google to your favorites list for news you can trust.
Latest news from Arsenal – New Eden Hazard / Signing of a striker worth more than €100 million
Elsewhere, the agent of rising Belgian star Mika Godts – dubbed the new Eden Hazard – has discussed his client’s future amid interest from big clubs like Arsenal.
Elsewhere, Arsenal are ready to press the button and ‘break the bank’ for the signing of a €100m-plus striker, and TEAMtalk has been told which two Gunners stars could be used as bargaining chips to reduce the overall cost of the deal.
LEARN MORE: Ranking the 15 biggest transfers ready to take place in summer 2026: Salah, Alvarez, Wharton