Chelsea defensive midfielder scouting series part four: Declan Rice

In part three of this series, we discussed Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips and how he would fit into a high-pressing side like Chelsea. We dissected the weaknesses and strengths of his gameplay and things he may potentially need to work on to succeed under Thomas Tuchel.

Now, we finally get to the much sought after defensive midfielder, Declan Rice. Rice is a 22-year-old England International who plays as a defensive midfielder for West Ham United. He also plays a lot as the deepest midfielder in a midfield three with a three centerback formation. Rice was Frank Lampard’s No. 1 target for defensive midfield, which apparently resulted in some friction with the Chelsea hierarchy. The Blues released Rice from their academy on a free transfer in 2014, when Rice was about 15 years old. He went on to join West Ham’s academy and has risen through the ranks to become an impressive player indeed.

An advantage with Rice is that while his numbers compared to other defensive midfielders might be lower, he’s much younger than most, which means when he becomes as old, he’s likely to be much better. Rice will be compared to Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante. Their numbers would be scrutinized from the beginning of the 2019/20 Premier League season until present day. Kante is used for the comparison because he’s the best player Chelsea has in the role in question.

Rice has made 15 appearances for England already and he is a key member of the West Ham squad that is currently pushing for Champions League football. Kante is perfect for the role, but he’s already 30 years old and has had to deal with recurring injuries lately, forcing the Chelsea coaching staff to manage his minutes. The Blues will want a long-term replacement for Kante, and at 22, Rice seems the perfect age to take over. Rice is also very good friends with many of Chelsea’s current academy graduates and he’ll fit right into the dressing room.