Is Declan Rice an upgrade on Thomas Partey?
Conchúr Richards compares Declan Rice and Thomas Partey, with the Ghanaian international set to leave the Emirates this summer, seemingly at the expense of the West Ham captain’s arrival.
Arsenal have had two offers for Declan Rice rejected and it looks like a package of at least £100 million including attainable add-ons could take the England international to The Emirates.
With rumours of Thomas Partey moving to either Juventus or the Saudi League this summer, Rice would have big shoes to fill but the metrics and stats suggest that the 24-year-old has the ability to do so.
Availability is the best trait a player can have and Declan Rice played 96% of the minutes available to him last season. This is a big upgrade upon Partey’s numbers who only played 73% of minutes and without that consistent lynchpin in the side, Arsenal did struggle. Rice was also in West Ham’s Starting XI 95% of the time and this is a trait that could be very beneficial if The Gunners are to mount another title challenge next season.
Rice did have a shaky start to last season but he finished with 5 goals and 4 assists in 50 appearances. He has proven his ability to get involved in an attacking sense and would add another layer to an Arsenal attack that scored 88 goals in the Premier League. Partey directly contributed to 3 goals in all competitions so Rice would immediately add more output. Under the guidance of Mikel Arteta, Rice could see those numbers rise again.
With Partey primarily being the defensive enforcer within Arsenal’s squad and doing a fantastic job at the six, it says a lot for Rice when he put up better defensive numbers than the Ghanian. Of course, West Ham played on the back foot so Rice did have a bit more work to do, with 1.73 interceptions per 90 placing him in the 95th percentile as well as 1.59 clearances putting him in the 83rd percentile amongst midfielders in the top five European leagues. These numbers were better than Partey’s, highlighting just how much of an output Rice could offer to Arsenal in a defensive sense.
Partey does beat Rice on aerial duels won and this was a significant factor in Arsenal’s ability to play on the front foot. Arsenal were able to launch transition offence off the back of Partey winning the ball in the air and this will be a feature of Rice’s game that will need to be improved, if he’s to have the same effects as Partey in that regard.
Rice was a very strong progressor for West Ham last season and with 6.60 progressive passes per 90 as well as 2.42 progressive carries, placing him in the 85th percentile for the latter, the Englishman could be effective in Arteta’s fluid system. Partey did however attempt and complete more passes than Rice but this largely comes down to the fact that Arsenal control more of the ball than West Ham do. At time, Partey was criticised for his passing ability and Rice could offer a new dynamic to Arsenal especially in terms of line-breaking which would be perfect in the way that The Gunners play.
Rice had a slightly better non-penalty expected goals and his ability to arrive in the box is a feature of his game that is largely overlooked. If Arsenal could add the England international to their midfield, it could go a long way into pushing for a title. Partey has been a huge influence in the Arsenal squad but Rice just seems like the perfect replacement that offers a bit more in an attacking sense that could push the North-London club back to the summit of the Premier League.
Rice has 43 caps for England and is an established international with a number of great performances at both the Euros and the World Cup. Moving to Arsenal would allow him to stay in London whilst taking the next step in his career. He could potentially compete for trophies and play in the Champions League, which is what every top player wants to do. And make no mistake, Declan Rice is a top player!
Partey will be a massive miss for Arsenal but Rice is younger and Arteta will have plenty of time to mould him into the midfield archetype that he both wants and needs. With Manchester City also expected to bid for Rice it will be interesting to see which project the Englishman decides to sign for.
If Arsenal do manage to get their hands on Rice it would be a statement of intent and he immediately makes their midfield stronger. His underlying numbers are excellent and I have no reservations that Declan Rice wouldn’t be a success at Arsenal.