In the almost six years since he took the job, Mikel Arteta has helped to utterly reshape Arsenal.
He’s pulled a team out of midtable mediocrity and turned them into serious contenders for the Champions League and Premier League.
Now, part of this transformation is down to his philosophy and tactics, but also to the sensational players he has promoted and signed.
In fact, one of his signings is now undoubtedly one of the world’s best players and arguably Arsenal’s best since the likes of Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry.
Vieira and Henry's Arsenal legacies
Arsenal signed Vieira from AC Milan in the summer of 1996, after a season in which he sat on the bench watching the Italian giants win the Scudetto.
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However, he certainly wasn’t a bit-part player in North London; he ended his first campaign having made 31 Premier League appearances, and as the years went by, he only became more and more important to the Gunners.
For example, following Tony Adams’ retirement in May 2002, Arsène Wenger made the all-action midfielder the club’s new captain, and in the eyes of many, he is one of the best to ever wear the armband.
By the time the Dakar-born monster left the club for Inter Milan in 2006, he had made 405 appearances, in which he scored 32 goals, provided 47 assists, won three titles, four FA Cups and led the North Londoners on their legendary invincible campaign.
Now, for most clubs, the iconic midfielder would probably be considered their greatest ever player, but for the Gunners, there is only one man who can hold that title: Henry.
The legendary forward joined the North Londoners from Juventus in the summer of 1999, and while it sounds absurd today, he didn’t have the best of starts.
He failed to score a single goal across his first eight appearances for the club and later revealed in an interview that he had to “be re-taught everything about the art of striking” during that period.
Whatever Wenger taught him in those few months must have been pretty special, as he’d end his first season in red and white with a tally of 26 goals and 12 assists in 48 appearances.
By the time the Les Ulis-born superstar left the club for Barcelona in 2007, he had chalked up a frankly astounding tally of 226 goals and 104 assists in 370 appearances and won two Premier Leagues and three FA Cups.
He returned for a brief spell in the 11/12 season, scoring twice in seven appearances.
Overall, when it comes to Arsenal legends, few players can match up with Henry and Vieira, but one of Arteta’s best signings is undoubtedly on his way.
Arsenal's future legend
The good news for Arsenal fans is that the squad is full of players who could go on to become club legends, but when it comes to someone performing at a world-class level, it’s hard to ignore Declan Rice.
The £105m man has been incredible for the club since his move in 2023, but towards the end of last season, and especially this year, it feels like he has taken another step forward.
Whether it’s hunting opposition players to steal the ball from them, marauding up the pitch with it at his feet or creating chance after chance with his outrageous set-piece delivery, the Englishman is operating at a truly unbelievable level.
In fact, he’s playing so well and has become so important in everything the Gunners do that it’s become increasingly hard to disagree with Thomas Frank’s assertion that he is among “the best in the world.”
That might sound hyperbolic to some, but it really, truly is not, and for those still unconvinced, you only need to look at his underlying numbers.
Goals + Assists
0.49
Top 3%
Corner Kicks
3.15
Top 4%
Assists
0.27
Top 5%
Progressive Carries
2.75
Top 5%
Crosses
4.92
Top 5%
xAG: Exp. Assisted Goals
0.22
Top 6%
Non-Penalty Goals
0.22
Top 7%
Shots from Free Kicks
0.18
Top 7%
Key Passes
1.92
Top 8%
Switches
0.69
Top 9%
According to FBref, he ranks in the top 3% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for goals plus assists, the top 5% for progressive carries and crosses, the top 8% for key passes and more, all per 90.
Moreover, something else that will help him reach the levels of Henry and Vieira is his mentality.
The England international is clearly someone who gives everything in every performance, and while he hasn’t got the armband, he is also undeniably a leader and will be a big reason for the Gunners winning anything this season.
Ultimately, while he needs those medals to get the respect he deserves, Rice is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world and will become an Arsenal legend.
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