Nuno can unleash West Ham’s next Rice in “powerful” gem & it’s not Magassa
da pinnacle： It might not have been the perfect start to life as the West Ham United boss on Monday night for Nuno Espírito Santo, but it wasn’t far off.
da aposte e ganhe： The Hammers went behind away to Everton, but fought back to claim a point and put in their best 45 minutes of football this season in the second half.
However, it’s going to be an altogether more challenging affair this afternoon, with Premier League title-chasing Arsenal hosting the East Londoners.
Nuno will be hoping former Iron Declan Rice has a game to forget, and he can help make that more likely by unleashing a talented prospect who could be his own version of the Englishman, and no, it’s not Soungoutou Magassa.
Comparing Rice for West Ham and Arsenal
While his move to a fellow London club stung supporters somewhat, it’s impossible to deny the fact that Rice was one of the best players to represent West Ham in the modern era.
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However, has he improved since moving to Arsenal, or are there just more eyes on him now that he plays for a ‘big six’ side?
One way to explore this is to examine his final season in claret and blue and compare it to last year.
Now, while doing this, it’s essential to recognise that in North London, the Englishman has been moved into the left eight role. Therefore, he has far more license to roam forward and influence the attacking side of the game, whereas at the London Stadium, he spent far more time playing in the six.
With that said, then, what does it look like when his underlying numbers from the 22/23 season are compared to those from last season?
Rice 22/23 vs Rice 24/25
Statistics per 90
22/23
24/25
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.13
0.32
Progressive Passes
6.59
6.11
Progressive Carries
2.45
2.87
Shots
0.96
1.53
Shots on Target
0.22
0.45
Passing Accuracy
86.5%
83.4%
Key Passes
1.02
1.88
Passes into the Final Third
6.40
4.36
Shot-Creating Actions
2.75
3.54
Goal-Creating Actions
0.16
0.32
Tackles Won
1.04
0.80
Blocks
1.24
0.86
Interceptions
1.73
0.80
Clearances
1.59
1.62
Successful Take-ons
1.02
0.45
Carries
40.0
32.8
Carries into the Penalty Area
0.16
0.51
Ball Recoveries
9.18
4.97
Aerial Duels Won
1.02
1.18
All Stats via FBref
Well, as you’d expect, the Rice of last season was, generally speaking, far more of an attacking threat. He posted far better numbers in things like non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots, goal and shot-creating actions, carries into the penalty area and key passes.
However, the player who helped the East Londoners win the Conference League was a monster when it came to the less glamorous side of the game.
He produced far more impressive numbers for metrics such as tackles won, blocks, interceptions, and ball recoveries. However, given his deeper starting position, he also performed better in metrics like carries, passes into the final third, progressive passes, and overall passing accuracy, all per 90.
In other words, West Ham fans are correct in saying Rice has always been this good; it’s just that he wasn’t used in the same way he is now at the London Stadium.
With that said, Nuno should look to start someone who could be his own younger version of Rice in this afternoon’s game to get the better of Arsenal.
The gem who could be West Ham's new Rice
Now, you could make the argument that Magassa could one day become West Ham’s new Rice, but in this instance, the player in question is Freddie Potts.
There are several reasons why the 22-year-old could emulate the former Hammers star, and the first is that he, too, has come up through the club’s renowned academy.
He joined the club at just six years old, and aside from a couple of loan moves to Wycombe Wanderers and Portsmouth, has grown up with the East Londoners.
Second, while he has the ability to play in central midfield and has even played at centre-back before, he is an out-and-out six and will undoubtedly play most of his football for the club there.
Finally, like the England international, the Barking-born ace is regarded as someone with immense potential.
For example, respected analyst Ben Mattinson has described the academy gem as someone who is “so smooth on the half-turn and composed under pressure.”
More than that, he also claims that his “ball-security, passing range and powerful carrying could see a real breakout season,” which, as a package, sounds an awful lot like Rice.
Ultimately, there is a long way to go in his career, but Potts has looked good in the academy and on loan, and with what people are saying about him, he could be West Ham’s new Rice.
