'Transition MONSTER' - Declan Rice is what Arsenal MISSED last season

Sam McGuire

• Updated: 15 Jul 2023 19:25 BST
• 5 min read

Arsenal finally have their man. Declan Rice has signed for the Gunners for a club record fee of £105 million (€122m), lifting the Emirates side into a new era after their remarkable run to second place in the Premier League in the 2022/23 season.

Everyone expected the summer transfer window to be dominated by Jude Bellingham. Heading into the final stages of the previous campaign, the England international was being chased by Real Madrid, Liverpool and Manchester City. Reports in Germany suggested Borussia Dortmund wanted in excess of €130 million for the 19-year-old after another impressive campaign - a fee that would’ve made him the most expensive English player in history.

In the end, he joined Real Madrid for an initial €103m. What had the potential to be a drawn-out transfer saga was done prior to the window even officially opening.

READ MORE: Premier League 2023/24 summer transfers: All the Done Deals

This complicated things for Arsenal. With City missing out on Bellingham, their attention turned the way of Declan Rice. For a while, it appeared as though the Gunners had a free run at the West Ham skipper with reports implying it was a matter of when and not if the 24-year-old would make the move to the Emirates.

Arsenal had two bids rejected before City offered a similar fee - €105m - but with better payment terms. This was turned down by the Hammers only for Arsenal to react with an improved €122m offer. City then pulled out of the race.

Rice is now the most expensive British player in history, eclipsing the €117m City parted with to sign Jack Grealish.

It also makes him the most expensive midfielder in world football, pushing Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez into second place.

READ MORE: Arsenal's 10 most expensive transfers of all time

What really makes the entire transfer saga so interesting is the fact both teams seemingly view him differently. According to reports, Arsenal want him to replace Thomas Partey at the base of their midfield while Manchester City, perhaps surprisingly, saw him as an Ilkay Gundogan replacement.

These roles couldn’t be any different, on paper at least.

The former City No.8 was someone who could play in all three phases. He was a controller in a deeper role, a facilitator in the middle third and a goal threat when given the freedom further forward. Gundogan scored 38 goals across all competitions in his final three seasons with City, averaging close to 13 goals per season from midfield. For a little bit of context here, Rice has 15 goals for West Ham across six seasons (245 appearances). He isn’t exactly famed for his goalscoring instincts but that could be to do with how he’s used by West Ham.

The 6ft 1in midfielder primarily plays as part of a double pivot for David Moyes’ men alongside Tomas Souceck. Both are, in many ways, box-to-box midfielders. They’ll sit deep as part of the system and then look to get forward during counters, though the No.41 has much more power and energy to get forward than his midfield partner.

Rice can carry the ball and is a great stress reliever when a team is under pressure. He’s also deceptively progressive on the ball and loves a big switch to stretch the opposition. The 43-cap England international is a transition monster and this will be useful for a ball-dominant team as he will be key to stopping counter-attacks, but he’s also underrated on the ball and this might be something he can showcase in a better team.

Adding goals to his game might be more of a slow burner though, but there’s no real reason he can’t chip in a lot more than he has for West Ham when he’s not playing in a counter-attacking system.

Arsenal clearly view Rice as a significant upgrade on Partey, both with and without the ball. Though the Gunners line up with a single pivot, the way they move into a 3-2-2-3 shape when in possession means the midfield powerhouse would be partnered in midfield and he would be able to play his natural game.

Rice would give Arsenal a solid base. His use of the ball means they would retain possession and his ability without it means they would have a greater chance of regaining the ball. Physically, he’s one of the most dominant midfielders in the league today. In the right system, he would play a pivotal role in single-handedly stopping matches from turning into basketball matches - end-to-end stuff that strips back control and leads to chaos. That sort of player might’ve helped Mikel Arteta’s side get over the line last season.

The fee seems excessive but there aren’t many out there with his profile. Arsenal might see him as someone to take them to the next level while City considered him a player who could keep them at their current level.