Sunderland midfielder, Noah Sadiki, lavished an Arsenal ace with special praise, and the Gunners man is currently odds-on favourite to scoop a top individual award.<\/p>\n
Sadiki has made an instant impact in the Premier League since arriving from Belgian side Union SG last summer. The combative central midfielder has been a mainstay in Regis Le Bris\u2019 side and his early showings have even prompted talk of a quick exit to Manchester United at season\u2019s end<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sadiki had the opportunity to test himself against the league\u2019s best on Saturday afternoon when his Sunderland<\/a> side squared off against Arsenal<\/a>.<\/p>\n For Sadiki to help his side produce a positive result, he needed to get the better of his direct counterpart in Arsenal\u2019s XI \u2013 Declan Rice<\/a>.<\/p>\n Unfortunately for the 21-year-old, The Gunners proved too strong and advanced their title hopes when securing all three points.<\/p>\n But speaking pre-match, Sadiki was well aware of the challenge he faced when talking up the Arsenal and England midfielder.<\/p>\n \u201cRice is really special to play one-on-one against,\u201d Sadiki told Belgian outlet Voetbal Primeur<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAt first, I wondered: do I run as much as he does? He runs a lot, but he also runs fast. He always chooses the right pass, he does everything at the right tempo, you see.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly good players play in the Premier League, really impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n Much was made of the colossal \u00a3105m (add-ons included) fee Rice cost when bought from West Ham.<\/p>\n Yet if he wasn\u2019t already, he\u2019s quickly proven he\u2019s among the league\u2019s best midfielders and his all-around game has developed since moving to north London.<\/p>\n And with Arsenal heavy favourites to win their first Premier League title since 2004, the PFA player of the year award is expected to go to one of their stars.<\/p>\n As it stands right now, Rice is the overwhelming favourite to scoop that prestigious honour. If doing so, he\u2019d become the first Arsenal star to win the award since Robin van Persie back in 2012.<\/p>\n Want more breaking transfer lines from original sources? Add TEAMtalk as a preferred source on Google <\/a>to your favourites list for news you can trust.<\/p>\n Latest Arsenal news \u2013 New Eden Hazard \/ \u20ac100m-plus striker signing<\/p>\n In other news, the agent of rising Belgium star Mika Godts \u2013 who\u2019s been dubbed the new Eden Hazard \u2013 has discussed his client\u2019s future<\/a> amid interest from major clubs such including Arsenal.<\/p>\n Elsewhere,\u00a0Arsenal are ready to push the button and \u2018break the bank\u2019 for the signing of a \u20ac100m-plus striker<\/a>, and TEAMtalk has been informed on which two Gunners stars could be used as makeweights to lower the overall cost of the deal.<\/p>\n