The Premier League has a vacancy.
English football cherishes a few archetypes, usually falling back on the physicality that has historically defined the game in the British Isles.
But standing above the no-nonsense centre-back and hulking No. 9 in the popular imagination is the all-action midfielder. The box-to-box hero plucked from a comic strip. The general.
This is a position that has evolved over time, through shifting tactical trends and demands. But in the Premier League era, you can draw a throughline from Patrick Viera and Roy Keane, to Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, up to and including Kevin De Bruyne.
Each member of that quintet possesses a distinct set of qualities, with some weighted more towards defence and solidity, while others are more suited to breaking games open in the final third. But they all had a little bit of everything, could roll their sleeves up for the more combative elements of top-flight football and were talismanic figures for their teams.
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De Bruyne's move to Napoli, ending a glorious decade at Manchester City, means there's a mantle to be inherited. The obvious answer here, given he's still in possession of the Ballon d'Or, is Rodri. But the Spain star is on the careful road back to peak fitness following ACL surgery almost a year ago in an overhauled City squad.
The contention at Arsenal is that the runners-up from the past three seasons are ready to go now. If not now, when for Mikel Arteta? Two wins and two clean sheets from their opening two matches mean they head to Anfield to take on champions Liverpool in a good place.
The game represents an opportunity to grasp, for Arsenal as a collective but also for Declan Rice. If the 26-year-old England international is to win a place in the pantheon above, it's the perfect time to make his move.
Is Declan Rice the Premier League's top midfield general?
If Rice is to earn his place among the Premier League's greatest dominant midfielders, this is an ideal time to do it. He's on the right track, but there are elements to improve.
Role change makes Rice a (relative) bargain
Rice joined Arsenal from West Ham in a deal worth £105 million in summer 2023. Compared to the other members of the exclusive club of players who have been the subject of nine-figure transfers, Rice has fared very well indeed. He need only ask his good mate Jack Grealish how heavily such a fee can weigh at times.
Deployed variously in holding midfield and more advanced positions, Rice has never shirked from taking the Arsenal team on his back.
Last season's free-kick double against Real Madrid brought the house down at Emirates Stadium. There were also four assists across the three home games against Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City.
Despite Rice being anointed as a deep-lying midfielder during his early career for club and country, it's become increasingly clear that he is most likely to influence and bend a game to his will from the left-sided position in Arsenal's central three. Arteta used the now departed Thomas Partey and Jorginho to facilitate this. The combined presence of Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard and Mikel Merino this season means that Rice should not be shackled with duties in front of the back four.
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Can Rice take strong stats and influence Arsenal's style?
Given that only Martin Odegaard (63) created more chances than Rice's 59 for Arsenal in the Premier League last season, Arteta can scarcely afford to move that output further away from goal in a team that lacked cutting edge as Liverpool ran away with the title in 2024/25.
Rice's goal contributions need to continue tracking in the right direction to place him among the great names listed above. His nine goals and 10 assists in all competitions in 2024/25 were both career best marks and meant he outstripped 16 goal contributions in his first season at Arsenal.
As per FBref, Rice is in the 90th percentile or above for non-penalty goals, assists and progressive carries among midfielders in Europe's big five leagues over the past year. An Arsenal team with more goal threat around him in the form of new arrivals Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke means Rice's capacity to be a driving force from midfield can be harnessed to a greater extent.
The other side of this is his fairly limp performance in the forgettable 1-0 win at Manchester United on the opening weekend of the season. Rice being similarly listless at Anfield and Arteta falling back on his pragmatic tendencies would be something for Arsenal to rue. They drew with Liverpool twice last season and twice with Manchester City the season before.
As Arne Slot beds in his array of exciting attacking signings, the champions have not got their balance right yet. They look defensively open, with holes in midfield trying to accommodate Florian Wirtz. Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and 10-man Newcastle United have played through them at will and scored two goals apiece.
De Bruyne, Gerrard, Lampard, Keane and Viera would all have known exactly what to do with an opponent like that and approached their task with cold-eyed precision. If Rice can inspire Arsenal to their first win at Anfield since 2011, he'd give another indication that he belongs at the top table.