Arsenal should sign Messi’s friend as HALF-PRICE midfield alternative

Tom Hancock

Updated: 18 May 2023 12:28 BST
4 min read

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal, 2022/23 — © ProShots

Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge may have crashed and burned, but they could still make a big statement in the transfer market this summer.

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As Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his squad in readiness for the Gunners’ return to Champions League football, which ought to include a marquee defensive midfield signing, one rumoured target’s name is doing the rounds more than any other: Declan Rice.

After years of steadily intensifying speculation, West Ham’s star man is expected to finally move on during the next window, and Arsenal seemingly favourites to secure his signature – but what if there’s a much cheaper alternative…?

Marco Verratti is said to want out of PSG this summer due to fierce criticism from fans and the fact that Lionel Messi, his close friend, is leaving the club when his contract expires at the end of next month.

And Verratti could be relatively straightforward to sign, with an apparent lack of interest in the player they picked up from Pescara back in 2012.

© ProShots - Verratti has made 413 appearances for PSG, winning eight Ligue 1 titles

Aged 30, Verratti is six years Rice’s senior – but he would likely come considerably cheaper than the England star, who was on the losing side as Verratti’s Italy triumphed in the final of Euro 2020.

Our in-house Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) model rates Rice at €63.2m; more than twice the estimated price of Verratti (€36.1m); Arsenal could do a lot worse than at least consider the latter.

And, using insights from SciSports, we can see that, broadly speaking, Rice and Verratti profile very similarly to one another.

© ProShots - SciSports style comparison of Verratti and Rice

Both players very much fit into the bracket of deep-lying playmaker, with Rice theoretically much more suitable for the box-to-box midfielder role – as partially demonstrated by the fact that he's found the net 11 times in the last three seasons alone, as many as Verratti in his entire, 11-year PSG career.

A big decision for Arsenal to make

Our data partner SciSports projects Rice to have a higher ceiling in terms of ability, giving him a SciSkill (projected peak) of 123.5 compared to Verratti’s current level of 116.3 – which, given his age, isn’t expected to increase.

Verratti arguably has the slight edge on Rice in terms of his passing ability – but Rice’s ostensibly superior combativity, especially in terms of regaining possession in the final third, might make him a more suitable fit for Arteta’s high-pressing approach.

Finances may ultimately dictate Arsenal’s decision here, but if – and it could be a big ‘if’ as West Ham boss David Moyes has previously valued him at over €100m – they can get Rice for a fee in the region of €80m – roughly what they paid for record signing Nicolas Pepe in 2019 – they surely have to seize their chance.