Arsenal latest: Declan Rice transfer problem comes to light as Gunners told star man is 'lost'

Arsenal have come under fire following their recent loss to Manchester City

Arsenal continue to be scrutinised for their style of play in the wake of their disappointing Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City. Mikel Arteta's side on Sunday suffered a 2-0 loss at Wembley Stadium, where they found themselves on the back foot for much of the second half.

The Gunners' pursuit of four trophies came to a frustrating end, with their attacking limitations once again exposed at a pivotal stage of the campaign. After the international break, Arsenal must regroup and ensure the mental blow of the recent setback doesn't derail their Premier League title aspirations.

Arteta's men currently hold a nine-point advantage over City in the standings, while they also face a favourable Champions League quarter-final tie against Sporting CP. Ahead of their next fixture, an FA Cup quarter-final away trip to Southampton, football.london examines two of the latest developments concerning the north London side.

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Rice transfer problem

Former England and Tottenham midfielder Chris Waddle has raised doubts over whether Arsenal need Sandro Tonali given they already have Declan Rice. The Gunners were strongly linked with a January move for Tonali after Mikel Merino sustained an injury but Newcastle were unwilling to part with one of their best players.

Nevertheless, both Arsenal and Manchester United reportedly remain interested in the Newcastle midfielder, who carries a valuation of around £100m. Despite the Italian's undeniable quality, Waddle claims the Gunners have no need for the player considering his similarities in playing style to Rice.

Waddle told FootballTransfers: "They've got Declan Rice and they've got Martin Zubimendi, who's a very good player. But Arsenal seem to collect players.

"Tonali has had a couple of great seasons, he's got better this season. He's a good age and I'm not surprised there's a lot of clubs interested in him.

"He's a very economical player, he's a little bit like Declan Rice, let's be honest, he's very consistent with his pass ratio, he's got a good shot and he's got a good engine.

"In my mind, he's a very similar player to Declan Rice, though. Do Arsenal really need another player like that? I know squads strengthen every year and that's how football moves on."

Saka 'lost'

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has blamed Arsenal's playing style for Bukayo Saka's disappointing form this campaign. The England international's stats have significantly dropped off compared to last season, with the winger recording just nine goal contributions across all competitions.

He was once again ineffective in the recent Carabao Cup final defeat, which pundit Scholes put down to Arsenal’s failure to build attacks effectively, resulting in Saka rarely receiving possession in threatening positions.

Scholes said on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast: "Their better players just weren't performing. You talk about these forward players not performing but you have to look at your midfield players and your centre-halves, they couldn't get the ball to them.

"Did you see the bit where Bernardo Silva sprinted out to try to stop it going for a corner? Even when you're playing against it, you don't want to give it away.

"It's almost like playing against Stoke what we did years ago, sometimes because the throw-ins were that good the manager told us to kick it out for a corner because of [Rory] Delap, because the delivery is not as good.

"What we're saying is, I think they've become obsessed with it. They've forgotten about the other way that they can actually score goals.

"They've got good players. You've got Saka who looks lost at the minute because they can't get the ball to him, more than anything, he's got great ability."