Ahead of the 2023–24 English Premier League (EPL) season’s start, Arsenal acquired the services of West Ham United’s star player and captain Declan Rice for a staggering £105m transfer fee which thumped the club’s previous record transfer fee of £72m when they secured a move for Nicolas Pepe from french club Lille.
Unfortunately, Pepe’s stay in north London did not quite workout as planned after some underwhelming performances and was deemed a ‘flop’ in the EPL. Hence it was not surprising to see Arsenal fans quick to criticise the transfer of Declan Rice, claiming that the price was too high for the England international and fans insisted that West Ham had cleverly used interest from other clubs including treble winners Manchester City to increase Rice’s value in the transfer market.
In all honesty, I was one of the skeptical fans who initially thought Declan Rice was not worth the gigantic transfer fee. Thankfully, I am not a professional football scout. In the 2023–24 EPL season, only nine matches have been played so far and yet Declan Rice has already proved the critics wrong, turned all the Arsenal faithful in his favour and is slowly but steadily gaining recognition as one of Arsenal’s best signings in the last decade.
West Ham Valuing Declan Rice at £105m
There are a few reasons why West Ham was keen on keeping a hold of their star midfielder amidst increasing interest from rival clubs. Declan Rice has been a West Ham player for six years, breaking out in the 2017–18 season as a defender and then growing and rising through the ranks as a defensive midfielder. The 2022–23 season saw the culmination of growth and potential as Rice concluded the season recording his best individual stats till date.
Rice played a vital part in England’s FIFA World Cup run which saw them reach the quarter-finals, he averaged 68.5 passes per 90 minutes which was more than any of his teammates. Throughout the tournament, the Three Lions midfielder made 300 successful passes out of 318 boasting a 94% pass accuracy.
Rice also captained West Ham to a European trophy by winning the UEFA Europa Conference League, it was West Ham’s first European trophy since 1965. During the 2022–23 EPL season, the hammers captain recovered possession a staggering 334 times, more than any other midfielder, the closest to him was City’s Rodri (301). He also ended the campaign with 63 interceptions made which again was more than any other player in the League.
He was only dribbled past 20 times throughout the entire season which is an average of 0.6 times per 90 minutes, again more than any other midfielder in the League. Defensively, Declan Rice was miles above any other midfielder in the Premier League and it’s no wonder why all the top clubs were after his signature.
Over the years, Declan Rice has morphed into an engine who sits at the very heart of the midfield, breaking down opposition attacks and marshalling the back line allowing teammates around him to play with freedom and fluidity.
His stature and presence reminds me of a former Manchester City legend who goes by the name of Yaya Touré, who incidentally is one of Declan Rice’s idols. The similarities between the two defensive midfielders doesn’t end with just their style of play, both of them stand above six feet and have similar builds, neither are particularly muscular, however they have a certain physicality to them which allows them to compete using their strength at the very highest level.
Their tree-like body structure enables them to lunge in to intercept passes and make effectively timed tackles utilising their long strides, needless to say they win majority of their aerial and ground duels in the centre of the field. Declan Rice is still only 24 years old and has already shown his maturity and immense potential as West Ham’s captain, it was only a matter of time before the England international made the move to a bigger stage.
Rice’s Summer Move to Arsenal
Arsenal dove into the 2023 summer transfer window with all guns blazing. They had a plan in mind and were determined to execute it before their competitors had a chance to obstruct them. Arsenal were on top of the EPL table for 248 days in the 2022–23 season and yet failed to secure the title, finishing second behind Manchester City.
It was only natural that Mikel Arteta and Co would insist on fortifying the squad and ushering in the remaining pieces to complete the puzzle. Arsenal lost out marginally last season because key players like Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus and William Saliba were injured during important periods throughout the campaign without adequate replacements. Arsenal would also be competing in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) for the first time in six seasons and to stand a chance against the best teams in Europe, the gunners would undoubtedly need a star studded squad.
Arsenal lacked a quality defensive midfielder for years until they acquired Thomas Partey from Atlético Madrid in 2020. However, to the dismay of Arsenal supporters, Partey is injury prone and since joining Arsenal has missed crucial months every campaign due to injuries. With the departure of Granit Xhaka, there were also rumours that Partey intended to leave the club in the summer which complicated things for the Arsenal boss.
Arsenal were determined to bring in players who would fit the system, hence they broke the bank for Declan Rice. Arsenal were engaged in a bidding war for Declan Rice with their rivals Manchester City who decided to walk away when the price was hiked up to £105m. I never thought I would see the day when Arsenal would successfully outbid Manchester City for a player, how times have changed. West Ham were keen to keep ahold of Rice but the 24-year old himself had his heart set on leaving the hammers to further his career and development.
It is still early days in the 2023–24 season, however Rice has already cemented his position in Arsenal’s starting lineup and has played regularly in the EPL and UCL. In just 9 EPL games, Rice has scored two goals, made a total of 555 passes, 21 tackles, 13 interceptions and 43 recoveries.
The England international has been given a slightly different role under Mikel Arteta, he still marshals the defensive backline by sitting deep in the midfield but now he is also encouraged to make more darting forward runs and assist Arsenal’s forward line of Martinelli, Saka, Ødegaard and Jesus. He is being transformed from a sole defensive midfielder to a more traditional box-to-box midfielder.
Declan Rice’s transition into this young Arsenal side has been seamless and his outstanding performances makes it seem like he has been playing in this team for a substantial period of time. The Englishman is a workhorse in midfield and has covered 46.75 km so far this season which is the third highest in the League. Besides his technical ability and physical prowess, Rice has also demonstrated leadership qualities by constantly stepping up in periods when Arsenal have their backs against the wall.
Arsenal’s new star signing has continued his spectacular form in other competitions including the UCL. Rice has made three appearances so far in the Champions League and played a major role in Arsenal’s recent 2–1 victory against Sevilla by providing an assist for the Arsenal winner, scored by Gabriel Jesus. Rice was also instrumental in the defensive shape as he constantly snuffed out threats in midfield, made crucial recoveries while tracking back from attacking positions and also covered for his defenders by following the opposition’s runs into the box and clearing the danger.
In the final 30 minutes of the game, Sevilla managed to score a goal which encouraged the home fans to get behind their team and breathe life into their players. The Sevilla players responded to this by kicking into second gear and attacking Arsenal from all directions. They were desperate to get an equaliser and Declan Rice was virtually everywhere on the pitch, determined to stop that from happening.
Of course he was supported by his teammates, including a standout defensive performance from Takehiro Tomiyasu, however at times it looked like Rice was single-handedly refusing to concede a goal despite the constant pressure put on them by Sevilla. At times during the match with the ball at his feet, Rice even went on darting runs from his own half just to get Arsenal up the pitch and ease a bit of pressure off the defence.
He has been consistently performing at the highest level since arriving from West Ham and seems to be getting better each game. He has adapted very quickly to this Arsenal team and is providing the much needed backbone the gunners have been missing for a very long time. It is still very early in his Arsenal career and he is still only 24 years of age with a lot of room to grow but if his early performances are any indication then it looks like Declan Rice will be a key player for Arsenal and the gunners might just reap the rewards from their big investment.
