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You may possibly know that 71 for every cent of the Earth’s surface area is protected by drinking water. What you may not know is the other 29 per cent is protected by Declan Rice.
At least that is how it felt looking at him person West Ham’s midfield final season, and that is what Arsenal are now paying a minimal £100million to secure for by themselves.
They are signing a endlessly-fit (Rice has played at the very least 80 per cent of the doable top rated-flight minutes in just about every of the past five seasons), never ever-continue to 24-12 months-aged whose speciality is getting in the correct place at the proper time: to acquire the ball cleanly and to have it forward at speed.
Now that West Ham and Arsenal are in arrangement around the price – with talks progressing in excess of the composition of payments – Mikel Arteta can get started to search at how he can utilise Rice.
When staring at his whiteboard – a staple of any Leading League manager’s office – there is an noticeable place in which Rice’s magnet should really be placed.
Declan Rice seems set to join Arsenal following the Gunners agreed £105m cost with West Ham
Rice has performed at the very least 80 for every cent of achievable top rated-flight minutes in the earlier five seasons
Mikel Arteta is now able to begin to assume about how he will utilise the 24-12 months-previous in his midfield
It is at the coronary heart of the workforce in lieu of Thomas Partey, who is being joined with a transfer absent from Arsenal.
At No 6, Rice will be on permanent patrol. There to split up any counter-assaults if and when his workforce-mates reduce possession better up the pitch. There to forecast the up coming go. There to pounce. There to acquire it forward as a result of the traces. There to hand it over to Martin Odegaard or Kai Havertz – the two superior No 8s who could sit both side of him – or use his underrated passing assortment to engage in in Bukayo Saka or Gabriel Martinelli.
It will make it possible for Arsenal to turn defence into assault in an instantaneous a swift transition which can take them from remaining in hazard to currently being perilous.
West Ham benefitted from this very last year, with Rice creating far more interceptions than any other player in the Leading League (he was major with 63, upcoming up was Brighton’s Moises Caicedo with 56) and his box-to-box motion building them a menace when they received possession.
As very well as breaking up perform, Rice will be predicted to electrical power forward. He was 25th in the Premier League final season in progressive carries and when you consider that classification pits him versus wingers these kinds of as Jack Grealish, Saka, Martinelli and Kaoru Mitoma, it is an spectacular statistic.
It will be intriguing to see how Arteta takes advantage of him in possession. Comprehensive-backs Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ben White – or Jurrien Timber if Arsenal indication him from Ajax – are adept at transferring into midfield.
No matter whether Rice will be advised to take up extra innovative positions when that comes about, or keep the fort as the nightwatchman, we do not but know.
It will be intriguing to see how Arteta utilises the England intercontinental when in possession
Arsenal’s midfield impressed previous term as they challenged for the title but each Granit Xhaka (remaining) and Thomas Partey (proper) have been joined with moves absent this summer time
Rice will will need to be organized to obtain the ball from Gabriel (still left) and William Saliba (centre)
Absolutely he will be needed when actively playing out from the again. At West Ham, Rice by no means shied away from acquiring the ball from centre backs Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma. They played far more passes into him than anyone else.
At Arsenal, he will have to make himself out there to William Saliba and Gabriel right before turning into the room or discovering an individual even further forward.
Rice has mentioned his need to increase his attacking output when at West Ham. But generally, as somebody who performs like he has a crystal ball tucked in his sock, his position is to forecast and protect against.
Substantially like he did when pinching possession off Partey at the London Stadium in April – which kickstarted a West Ham comeback in a 2-2 draw which was a killer blow to Arsenal’s title hopes.
Skill-intelligent, it is uncomplicated to see why Arsenal have pushed so intensely for this England international, so substantially so they are all set to break the document for a British participant.
He is an up grade on Partey, both equally in a defensive and attacking feeling, and only Manchester City’s Rodri can threaten his position as the Premier League’s finest defensive midfielder.
Only Guy City’s Rodri can challenge his status as the league’s ideal defensive midfielder
The 24-calendar year-previous is considered to be a amazing presence in the dressing-space – an important metric
However there are other places to take into consideration. Arsenal have long been accused of lacking leadership but, at 24, Rice led West Ham to the Europa Convention League trophy in his 1st period as club captain soon after Mark Noble’s retirement.
It may well not exhibit up on many football metrics but in accordance to all those who know him, Rice is a fantastic character another person you want in your dressing space.
West Ham realise they are losing a specific participant and man or woman.
Some may say Rice is not well worth £100m-as well as, but he is to Arsenal in their pursuit of a 1st Premier League title since 2004.
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