I remember when the transfer finally went through, West Ham fans responded with utter bitterness.
“Not worth that”
“We have had their pants down”
“£20m too much, thanks for the help Pep”
A little more than 3 months on and I think it is quite clear that Arsenal got themselves a brilliant player, for a good price, and it was a great move for Declan Rice.
With Rice in the team, Arsenal have improved dramatically.
Rice has also improved in his time at Arsenal. You will find very few now debating against him being World Class. West Ham, meanwhile, have gone backwards.
Arsenal improvement
A lot has been made this season about how Manchester City had a drop off when Rodri was out suspended. Arsenal were the same in previous seasons when Thomas Partey was out.
Partey has started just two Premier League games this season and Arsenal have not missed him. The reason is Declan Rice.
The Ghanian was one of the best midfielders in the Premier League last season. Declan Rice is the best midfielder in the Premier League this season.
Partey’s issue has always been his fitness, his ability to play 40+ games a season. Rice is more durable and has more to his game.
When we beat Manchester City in the league, Rice played a dominant role in central midfield. He has quickly become a moder-day Ruud Gullit.
In defence, Rice and Partey are not too disimilar, but it is when our backs are against the wall Rice rises to another level.
Probably due to his conditioning from a young age playing for someone like West Ham, Rice finds another gear when the team are looking to defend a lead and need someone to drive the ball forward. He reminds me of Roy Keane the way he takes responsibility of a game.
Rice can dominate and dictate a game in its closing 30-minutes that PArtey was unable to do so.
His positioning is excellent and he knows when to clear upfield, when to play a short pass and when to drive into space. Partey did not always have their clarity in the closing minutes.
Sevilla was the perfect example of this as we held on to a 2-1 win. I am not sure we do that with Partey.
This is not to say Thomas Partey is a poor footballer, just the Rice is now a level above. And much of this is due to the Englishman’s self-improvement since joining The Arsenal.
Rice improvement
I do not know why it is so controversial to have the opinion that Declan Rice has improved since joining Arsenal.
Yes, it has only been 2 and a half months, but that highlights just how quickly Rice has picked up the way we play and his hunger to learn.
Rice was very good at West Ham. One of the best midfielders in the league. But now? I would argue he is the best in the league. And Ithink only bitter Hammers would disagree (despite last year them claiming he was the best!).
Playing with better players has taken Rice to the next level. He no longer needs to be Superman on the pitch. He is surrounded by World Class talents such as Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, comapred to average journeymen like Jarrad Bowen and Lucas Paqueta.
Rice looks calmer at Arsenal than at West Ham due to his understanding that he does not need to be bother the defensive and attacking match winner. He is learning that he does not need to drive forward with the ball everytime he gets it. He looks calmer and due to that his decision making is much improved.
The only area where Rice has not improved this season is in “ball recoveries” – basically tackles and interceptions. But this is due to him playing for a vastly different team that does not require him putting in 10-15 challeges a game.
Rice is losing posession less, passing more, and completing more passes. He has become so consistent. So reliable.
West Ham go backwrds
Against Everton on Sunday, West Ham were bullied in midfield.
The Hammers started the season well, and the recruitment of James Ward-Prowse and Edson Álvarez looked good business.
Alongside Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paqueta, the quartet looked to be a solid midfield and some made the argument that West Ham’s midfield was stronger than last year. But it is a mid-table midfield and so it is no surprise that they are now mid-table.
Rice took their midfield to another level, capable of World Class performances. A one man midfield. Without him, West Ham’s midfield now looks fairly average.
West Ham fans tried to pull the wool over everyones eyes by saying stuff like “Rice was holding back Tomas Soucek. The Czech midfielder was always better and is now back to his best”. Three defeats in the row have led those same fans to now demand he is dropped. Rice was undroppable.
With just one win in their last 6 games, I think it is clear and obvious that West Ham are missing Declan Rice.
Tonight, I expect Declan Rice to not play. Only Ben White and William Saliba have played more minutes than him for The Arsenal this season.
Saturday’s game against Newcastle is vastly more important than the League Cup v West Ham. Rice will be given a rest ahead of the bigger game.
The likes of the League Cup or European Conference League are designed for those smaller clubs to dream of a little bit of minor success. They are good additions to the calendar. But for bigger sides they can be an inconvenience.
Arteta will shuffle his pack tonight, Rice will be left out, and the main target of this week is to awake Sunday morning top of the league.
UTA.
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 
Might sound hyperbolic but in my opinion, Rice is already our best player. Its early days but the level of his performances never seem to drop. Chelsea 1st half is the only time this season where he dropped below a 7 out of 10. He soon switched up a level 2nd half and dragged us back in the game.
Totally agree with you about what he provides the team when we are under the cosh. Playing underdog football at West Ham has helped him in that regard but you can`t teach what Rice has got. That inner strength and desire to take responsibility is something you`re born with. Your Roy Keane example is a good one, Rice is like a throwback to better times. He`s technically good enough to play in the modern era but he would have been a great player in any era. He`s got everything really. 105 Million is a chunk of dough but if he stays injury free, it will look like a bargain in a few years time.
As for the old `Appy Ammers`, I think they`ve got some really good players, certainly don`t think the likes of Bowen and Paqueta are average. I think their problem is the manager. I hate football snobbery, I couldn`t careless what style of football a team plays but you could give the likes of Moyes and Dyche 3 Billion to spend on the best players in the world and they`d still churn out the exact same brand of football. That game on Sunday is the worst PL match I`ve seen this season.
Tonight will be a real test for us, I`m with you, I`d give a run out to our fringe players. Saturday is the big one for us this week. West Ham will go strong, they got a little taste of winning something last season and they`ll see the Carabao Cup as a big trophy for them. Even if we do make massive changes, still think we can get over the line in this one.
Up The Arse.
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