By Willow Austin
Published on 2024-06-02 20:30:46
Rodri Man City midfield general and Arsenal’s Declan Rice are too standout midfielders during the 2023/24 season. While Rodrigo Hernandez has been at Manchester City in 2019, Declan Rice had his debut season at Arsenal last campaign.
In 2019 when Rodri decided to join Manchester City, Rice was a key player at West Ham United who had a bright future ahead of him. The Englishman joined West Ham in the summer of 2013 from Chelsea academy and left the Hammers for the Gunners in 2023. He spent a decade at West Ham, from the youth club to the senior team and even captained the team to a European glory.
Transfer Fee: How Much Did Rodri Cost Manchester City Vs Amount Arsenal Signed Rice
The Premier League champions needed a defensive midfielder in 2019. Although Pep Guardiola had the luxury of calling on one of the best midfielders in the league, Fernandinho, but there was a need for a backup midfielder as the Brazilian moved towards the end of his career.
The Cityzens identified Rodri as a long-term replacement for Fernandinho and paid €70 million to convince Atlético Madrid to sell the Spain international to them.
Similar to Manchester City’s situation many years ago, Arsenal needed a player to partner or replace Thomas Partey at the heart of their midfield, and they had to break the bank to secure the service of Declan Rice.
The Gunners found themselves in the midst of a transfer battle with many top football clubs across the Europe, including Manchester City. However, they won the battle after paying a €116.60 million club record fee to sign the talented midfielder.
Rodri Man City 2023/24 Season Stats Vs Arsenal’s Declan Rice Debut Season Performance
Both Rodri and Declan Rice had an incredible season. They both dominated the midfielders and many of their pairs in the league couldn’t match their strength and the ability to drive the team forward.
In terms of their goal contributions, the Manchester City midfielder beat the Arsenal superstar. He had scored more goals and provided more assists than Declan Rice in fewer appearances.
The Spaniard played 34 league matches, starting all the matches, and scored 8 goals and provided 9 assists. Declan Rice, on the other hand, played all the 38 league matches, started 37 and recorded 7 goals and 8 assists. He had a 0.18 goal ratio compared to Rodri with 0.24.
Rodri Man City arguably the most important player, was better than Declan Rice in term of their passes. While Rice had a 91% pass success rate, played 47 key passes, and 2225 total passes, the Manchester City midfield maestro had a 92% pass success rate, played 50 key passes and 3265 total passes.
Defensively, Declan Rice had an incredible stat than Rodri. The England international recorded 2.18 tackles per game, had 1.16 interceptions, and 1.34 clearances per game. The City midfielder made 2.06 tackles per game, had 0.76 interceptions and 1.18 clearances per game.
Rodri Current Market Value Vs Declan Rice Market Value
Although Manchester City paid €70 million to sign a much Rodri five years ago, the Premier League champions will gain €50 million if they decide to sell their star man. According to Transfer Market, the Spain midfielder is valued at €120 million.
Similarly, the transfer value of Declan Rice has increased to €120 million almost a year after he signed for the Gunners. Arsenal did an incredible business with West Ham United. The midfielder has improved their game and they will gain more profits from unlikely sale of the Englishman.
