7 unbelievable stats that prove Declan Rice has been the signing of the season
Declan Rice has taken to life at Arsenal with ease and we have gathered seven unbelievable stats that prove he’s been the signing of the season.
The Gunners splashed a record £100million fee to lure Rice to north London in the summer and he’s somehow been able to justify that extortionate price tag.
From scoring clutch goals to setting the tempo from midfield, there can be little debate that the England international has been one of the best players in the league this season.
What’s most impressive about Rice is the fact that he seems to be getting better as we head into the business end of the season. In the Premier League, he’s got seven goal contributions in his last eight matches from midfield.
Mikel Arteta has managed to mould his system around the dynamic midfield maestro and he’s been quick to praise the 25-year-old for his impact this season.
“If I had to describe him with a picture it would be a lighthouse, this is how I see him,” Arteta told TNT Sports when discussing Rice.
“When I was envisioning the squad, how can I explain him? How can I see him in the team? His pressing, he’s overlooking everything, he’s bringing light and clarity and guidance for everybody.
“That’s his biggest quality. He is a leader, he’s still very young and a lot to you, but he’s got the right foundations to become an incredible player for us.”
We’ve taken a closer look at the impact Rice has had at Arsenal and have identified seven outstanding stats that prove he’s been the signing of the summer.
– The Arsenal midfielder has a Whoscored average match rating of 7.4. That’s far superior to any of the other 10 most expensive Premier League signings from this summer.
– It’s also worth pointing out that Rodri is the only Premier League holding midfielder who has a higher average match rating (7.62) than Rice this season (7.4).
– Without Rice’s goals in the Premier League, Arsenal would be five points worse off and would be sat third in the table. It’s a good job he’s been on hand to score so many clutch goals.
– Impressively, he’s managed to score six league goals from an xG of just 2.2. Only Diogo Jota, Jarrod Bowen and Son Heung-min have overperformed their xG by a greater margin than Rice this season.
– Compared to his final season with West Ham, his average match rating has increased by 0.38. That’s a larger increase than any other Arsenal player has managed this season.
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READ: Arsenal’s 7 most improved players in 2023-24 according to Whoscored
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– Following his latest goal against Brentford, Rice has now scored more league goals for Arsenal this season than his last two seasons combined at West Ham. He’s far more than just a holding midfielder.
– The 25-year-old has won more tackles (55) and has made more interceptions (35) than any other Arsenal player in the league this season. His work off the ball is invaluable to Arteta’s side.
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