When it comes to the greatest players to have donned West Ham United’s famous Claret and Blue in recent history, it’s hard to look past Declan Rice.
The England international joined the club as a teenager and worked his way into the first team before eventually being given the captain’s armband, which he wore as the club won the Conference League in 2023.
At his best, the 26-year-old was a combative number six who was a nightmare to get past, but had in his locker what was, at the time, a hugely underrated passing ability and a sensational left foot.
In all, Rice is one of the best players to have represented West Ham in the modern era, even if his decision to join a fellow London side might have broken a few hearts.
Therefore, fans should be delighted with reports linking the club to a powerful midfield star who has been likened to the Arsenal star.
West Ham target their new Rice
The part of the team West Ham are most in need of reinforcing before the window closes next week is the midfield, and it looks like they’re going to do just that.
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For example, reports suggest that the club have had an offer for Southampton’s Mateus Fernandes accepted today, and AS Monaco’s Soungoutou Magassa is set for a medical.
Yet, the Hammers might not be done there, as they’re being linked with another midfield star who could become their new Rice.
At least that is according to a recent report from Sky Sports News, which has claimed West Ham are interested in Aleix Garcia.
The report has revealed that the Bayer Leverkusen star is on a list of players the Irons are interested in this summer.
A potential price for the player is not mentioned in the report, but stories from earlier this week claimed that a fee of €20m, which is about £17m, would be enough to tempt the German side into selling.
At that price, signing the talented and experienced Garcia seems like a no-brainer for West Ham, especially as he’s been compared to Rice.
How Garcia compares to Rice
In this instance, the comparison between Garcia and Rice stems from FBref, which looked at players in similar positions from Europe’s top five leagues and concluded that the Arsenal ace has been the eighth most similar midfielder to the 28-year-old over the last 365 days.
We can gain a better understanding of how this conclusion was reached by examining the underlying metrics in which the pair ranks closely.
In this case, these include statistics such as non-penalty expected goals plus assists, key passes, blocks, shot-creating actions, interceptions and more, all per 90.
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.36
0.32
Progressive Passes Received
2.90
2.99
Key Passes
1.98
1.88
Shot-Creating Actions
3.71
3.54
Blocks
0.74
0.86
Interceptions
0.68
0.80
In other words, like the Hammers’ former captain, the Spaniard is a defensively solid midfielder who is more than comfortable contributing to the attacking side of the game.
The “outstanding” ace, as dubbed by Pep Guardiola, is capable of initiating attacks through his impressive passing ability, as exemplified by his key passes.
Finally, another strength of the “technically gifted” Spaniard, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, that he shares with the Englishman is his ability to play in multiple midfield roles, from a defensive six to a box-crashing eight, and on occasion even further up the pitch.
Ultimately, while he might not be a household name among Premier League fans, West Ham should do all they can to sign Garcia before the window slams shut, especially as he could be their new Rice.