With Man City entering the race to sign Declan Rice, could Pep Guardiola turn the England international into his next Sergio Busquets?
Declan Rice, the captain of West Ham United, is reportedly a target for Manchester City.
What is the most recent Declan Rice transfer news from Manchester City?
Gianluca Di Marzio, a reporter for Sky Sports Italy and an expert on transfers, claims that Rice is “getting closer to” joining Manchester City, who are now “confident to reach a final agreement with West Ham.”
The rumor that the Citizens were “expected to submit an offer” to “rival Arsenal” for the England international was first reported by David Ornstein yesterday morning.
It has been an unexpected development that the Premier League champions have entered the fight for Rice’s signature.
It appeared like Mikel Arteta’s team had been in control after David Sullivan announced that his skipper would be departing in the summer.
Ilkay Gundogan is valued at £120 million, but conflicts over fees and payment terms for the star appear to have opened the way for other teams to enter the competition. As a result, the Etihad will need to add midfield reinforcements after Gundogan left for Barcelona this week.
Under Pep Guardiola, could Declan Rice become the new Sergio Busquets?
It’s a big thing to ask the 24-year-old.
Many experts and supporters agree that Sergio Busquets ranks among the best defensive midfielders of the past 20 years, if not the best.
He was undoubtedly an important player during Pep Guardiola’s four years in charge, with the City manager being the one to discover him from the renowned La Masia programme back in 2008. Now, considering the aforementioned reports, the Spaniard might find Rice to be his next iteration of the enormous defensive midfielder.
Rice may definitely come close to duplicating Busquets at the Etihad given the immense potential West Ham’s “monster,” as previously characterised by ESPN’s David Cartlidge, possesses.
The “destroyer” for the Hammers, whom Paul Robinson earlier praised, is already at the calibre of the illustrious Barcelona player, according to former City legend Sergio Aguero.
In an interview with Stake (via football365), he stated:
He is on par with the finest midfielders like Busquets, Rodri, and Casemiro in my opinion and is a superb player. But he has shown himself, and in my opinion, he will be an asset to England’s World Cup team.
His followers have dubbed him “Basmati Busquets” because they claim there is more than a passing resemblance.
The players’ physical attributes are the first thing to be compared.
There isn’t much of a height difference between them; the Spanish hero is just a hair taller at 6 feet 2 than West Ham’s gem, who stands at 6 feet 1. However, the Kingston upon Thames-born titan weighs 80 kg compared to Busquets’s 76–78 kg, giving him a little weight edge.
That may not seem like a significant difference, but it helps in the Premier League’s more rugged style of play.
Their seasons last year also don’t really differ much.
The midfielder from Sabadell averaged a rating of 6.99 across his 30 La Liga games, whereas Rice averaged 7.01 across his 37 games, according to WhoScored.
What about the statistics that underlie them? Can we tell them apart that way?
According to FBref, the Englishman routinely carries the ball farther into the opposition’s half, with a progression of 112.7 yards per 90 compared to Busquets’ 97.6 despite carrying the ball 52.6 times per 90 compared to Rice’s 35.
It draws attention to one of the player variances, a disparity caused by the system in which they have played the most of their football.
Barcelona has always been more expressive, more about moving and passing, hypnotising the opponent with an endless variety of passes, whereas, under David Moyes, the more rigid east London team have been far more direct, even counter-attacking at times, with Rice to be less expressive with his passing and focus more on driving at opponents to unsettle them.
However, he might still contribute to a rapid passing scheme since, according to FBref, he has a pass completion rate of 86.9%, which puts him just below Busquets, who has an 89.3% rate.
In addition, the incisive midfielder has expressed open respect for the World Cup victor, saying:
“I’ve been following Busquets ever since I was a young child. He stays in the centre circle the entire time. He engages in 360-degree play.
Rice would undoubtedly become a terrifying opponent under Guardiola, whether or not he ends up exactly emulating Busquets.