They might have dropped points for the first time since late September on Saturday, but Arsenal remain atop the Premier League table heading into the international break.
Mikel Arteta’s side are four points clear of Manchester City in second place and have looked utterly sensational for much of the season, even with most of their attackers out of action.
Moreover, those who have remained fit have stepped up massively so far and currently look like some of the best players in the country, if not in Europe.
One of those stars is, of course, Declan Rice, but even the Englishman is being outperformed by another of Arsenal’s most important players, someone who could be one of their best-ever signings in the Premier League era.
Rice's development at Arsenal
When Arsenal splashed a club record £105m on Rice in the summer of 2023, most fans expected him to come in and become the club’s first choice six for the foreseeable future.
After all, while he had played in other positions for West Ham United, he was first and foremost a defensive midfielder in East London.
Unsurprisingly, this was how Arteta used the Englishman for much of the 23/24 season, with him making 31 appearances at the base of midfield, 19 in central areas and one at centre-back.
However, towards the end of that season, the manager was playing his record signing higher up the pitch, and that trend continued into the following campaign, where the 26-year-old became far more of an all-action, box-crashing left-eight.
For example, by the end of the season, he had made 37 appearances in central midfield and just 15 as a six, and as a result, his output massively improved, with him scoring nine goals and providing ten assists.
It seemed that the former Hammers’ captain would continue to play further up the pitch this season, especially with Martin Zubimendi joining the club, but once again, and for the third consecutive campaign, his role has slightly changed.
The 70-capped Englishman is still starting games in central midfield, but on top of getting forward and crashing into the opposition’s penalty area, he is once again dropping deep at times, specifically to create a double pivot with his new Spanish teammate.
Appearances
120
Starts
109
Minutes
9613′
Goals
18
Assists
25
Goal Involvements per Match
0.35
Minutes per Goal Involvement
223.55
Points per Game
2.10
This change is clearly visible during games and on his heatmaps, but he was also happy to tell the press during the last international break that the manager has “adjusted my position at Arsenal a bit this year to give me a bit more freedom to drop deeper but to also get in the box when I can.”
Add an outrageous ability with dead balls that has already seen him chalk up five assists to go with his two goals this season, and it’s easy to see why so many consider Rice to be one of the best players in the league.
However, even with how well he is playing this year, there is another Arsenal star doing even better who could be in for a shout as being one of the club’s best signings in the Premier League era.
The Arsenal star who could be one of their best-ever PL signings
The good news for Arsenal fans and Arteta is that several players in the current squad could potentially fit this description.
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However, when it comes to someone who has really taken yet another step up this season, it’s practically impossible to ignore Gabriel Magalhães.
The Brazilian was once seen as something of a liability at the back, so much so that he made just 32 appearances, totalling 2807 minutes, across all competitions during his first season with the club.
However, he began to steadily improve after that initial campaign, and while there were rumours of him being up for sale in the summer of 2023, he’s become utterly invaluable since.
In fact, while William Saliba is viewed as the more cultured of the two centre-backs, and was constantly touted for a move to Real Madrid before his contract renewal, it could be said that the Brazilian has been the better player across the last two years.
25/26
17
5
24/25
42
8
23/24
50
5
22/23
48
3
21/22
39
5
20/21
32
4
For example, he has almost entirely rid his game of the silly mistakes that hurt his reputation early on and has become a titan at the back.
Moreover, while he is more than capable of the cute passes his French partner likes to play, he also has that old-school approach to the game.
He makes more than his fair share of perfectly timed but nonetheless thunderous all-action challenges that get the fans on their feet.
Add to that the fact he’s 6 foot 3, a vocal leader and clearly someone who loves the art of defending, and it’s easy to see why Arsenal writer Adam Keys has described him as the Gunners’ “colossus” at the back.
Now, the 27-year-old’s defensive contributions, which played a vital role in the club’s eight clean sheets in a row, would be reason enough for him to be classed as one of their best signings in the Premier League era, but he’s more than just a defender.
Since joining the league, no defender has been involved in more goals than the Brazilian, and across all competitions, he has racked up an outrageous tally of 22 goals and eight assists.
Seeing the São Paulo-born monster’s name on the scoresheet at the end of a game has become something of an inevitability this season, and yet opposition teams remain incapable of stopping it from happening.
Ultimately, Rice is a world-class player, but over the last couple of years, especially this season, Gabriel has been operating just above him, and therefore, could be one of Arsenal’s best-ever Premier League signings.
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