Declan Rice has enjoyed a Premier League debut to remember for Arsenal.
The English midfielder joined the Gunners from West Ham United at the beginning of the summer transfer window in a deal worth a staggering £105 million. The Hammers’ former skipper is officially the country’s most expensive-ever player, but this could soon change if Chelsea match Liverpool’s record £110 million offer for Brighton’s Moises Caicedo.
Nevertheless, with Rice now an Arsenal player and already featuring heavily during the Gunners’ pre-season tour, there is a huge expectation that the 24-year-old can help Mikel Arteta’s side reach new heights in the 2023-24 campaign.
And making his competitive debut during Saturday afternoon’s early Premier League kick-off against Nottingham Forest, Rice, playing in front of a jam-packed Emirates Stadium crowd, has barely put a foot wrong.
The English midfielder’s first-half stats, as displayed by Squawka Live, show just how dominant and assured Arsenal’s new number 41 has been.
Declan Rice in the first half vs. Nottingham Forest:
91% pass accuracy
61 touches
7 final third entries
4x possession won
4 duels contested
3 duels won
2 tackles
1 interception
1 shot on targetSlotted in perfectly. ?#ARSNFO pic.twitter.com/xuPTmeBHRn
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) August 12, 2023
At the time of writing, there are around 10 minutes left to play. Arsenal lead two-nil following first-half goals from Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka, who netted an early contender for ‘Goal of the Season’. You can see the winger’s stunning strike out here.