Arsenal sign midfielder Declan Rice for £105m: Decoding his stats
Arsenal have announced the signing of West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice for a record £105m. Arsenal will pay £100m plus £5m in add-ons. The deal surpassed the £72m Arsenal paid for Nicolas Pepe from Lille in 2019. Meanwhile, it is also a record transfer fee between two British clubs. The previous best record was £100m for Jack Grealish (Aston Villa to Manchester City).
Why does this story matter?
Rice is touted as one of the best defensive midfielders and it was a matter of time as West Ham knew they can cash in with a hefty fee. Arsenal made Rice a primary target and they see him as someone who can have a massive influence in the coming years. Rice adds a lot of dimension to Arsenal's midfield.
Rice joins a unique club of English players
Rice has become the third English player to command £100m or more after Jude Bellingham and Grealish. Manchester City paid £100m to Aston Villa for Grealish in the summer of 2021. Grealish was the first English player to enter triple digits in terms of transfer fees. Bellingham signed a six-year deal with Real Madrid, who will pay £88.5m, rising to £115m with potential add-ons.
The second-costliest fee to be paid by an English club
Rice is now the second-most expensive player in terms of fees paid by an English club. Chelsea's £106.8m signing of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica is the costliest fee paid. Rice (£105m) and Grealish (£100m) follow suit. Other expensive sums paid by English clubs are - £97.5m for Romelu Lukaku (Inter to Chelsea) and £93.25m for Paul Pogba (Juventus to Man United, including add-ons).
A look at Rice's stats at West Ham
Rice spent seven seasons at West Ham and went on to make a total of 245 appearances. He ended up with 15 goals, besides providing 12 assists. In the last two seasons, he made 100 appearances for West Ham, scoring 10 goals and making seven assists. In the Premier League, Rice has appeared 204 games so far, scoring 10 times and making nine assists.
Breaking down his Premier League 2022-23 season in numbers
In the Premier League 2022-23 season, Rice made 37 appearances, scoring four times and making one assist. As per Opta, he clocked 26 shots (excluding blocks), including nine on target. He hit the woodwork once. He attempted 2,083 passes and completed 1,834, clocking an accuracy of 88.05%. Rice made 79 tackles and completed 40 take-ons. He made 55 clearances and 63 interceptions.
Rice helped West Ham win the Europa Conference League
Rice played a key role in helping West Ham win the Europa Conference League last season. His final game for the club saw him lift West Ham's first trophy in 43 years.
Breaking down Rice's £105m deal
As per Skysports, the £105m deal for Rice is broken down into an initial payment of £100m, which will be paid over 24 months. A further £5m in add-ons which are £1m every time Arsenal qualify for the Champions League and Rice starts 60 percent of games. Rice is Arsenal's third major signing of the summer following Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber.
