The stats that show Arsenal newboy Declan Rice is a £100m midfielder

 

 

After beating the drop and winning the Europa Conference League with West Ham, Declan Rice looks set to become the most expensive English player in history by making the move to Arsenal for a reported £100m plus add ons.

 

We take a look at some of the stats which prove why Arsenal’s new recruit is worthy of his hefty price tag. 

 

He dominates the midfield third 

 

In the past few seasons, Rice has proven that he is an animal in that midfield third and since the start of the 2020/21 season only Rodri (519) has won possession in the midfield third on more occasions in the Premier League than Declan Rice (444). Not only this but in the same timeframe only Jan Bednarek (207) ranks above the Englishman for interceptions (185) in the Premier League.

 

In the last season alone he topped the charts for interceptions (63) and ranked second for possession won in the midfield third (173). All traits that the Premier League runners up will be hoping he can bring and excel in at the Emirates.

 


 

 

He protects his defence 

 

Another of Declan Rice’s strengths is his ability to break down attacks before they look to pose a threat on the defence. The biggest indicator of his competency here is that he won possession more times in the defensive third (140) than any other central midfielder, and fifth overall, in the Premier League last season.

 

To put this into perspective for Arsenal, their highest performer in this metric was William Saliba with 112, and you can be sure that the Gunners defence will appreciate the addition of a ball winning defensive midfielder for added protection.

 

He is handy going forward 

 

It’s not only his defensive attributes that deserve the plaudits but he is also more than capable of turning defense into attack. Demonstrated by his ball recoveries (334), a metric which he tops  for outfielders and his forward passes (607). Declan Rice ranks third of midfielders in forward passes in the Premier League last season, behind Bruno Fernandes (633) and Rodri (624).

 

He chipped in with four goals and two assists for the Hammers last season which is not to be sniffed at from defensive midfield and as we know Arsenal like to share the goals out around the team, and so Arteta will be more than happy for Rice to pop-up with a few goals next season.

 

He is an all-rounder 

 

Another big factor in Rice’s success in becoming a fan favourite at West Ham was his ability and desire to be everywhere and do everything, and this is something that he most definitely achieved. He was the only player in the Premier League to register 60+ tackles (79), interceptions (63), possession won in defensive third (14) and possession won in midfield third (173). This just proves the midfielders versatility which will be an absolute god-send for Arsenal.

 

Is he flawless? 

 

Of all the stats that prove the worth of this fine footballer, it’s the WhoScored.com’s statistically calculated weaknesses which sum up exactly how good Declan Rice is; Player has no significant weaknesses. That alone explains how he has wound up as England’s most expensive player to date.  

 

So whilst the price tag might seem excessive it’s ultimately a reflection of the current market and there are arguably very few, if any, English exports that would command this price and for that reason Arsenal look to have picked up a strong addition here.


The stats that show Arsenal newboy Declan Rice is a £100m midfielder