Rice addition crucial but Partey remains Arsenal's key midfield man
Rice was probably as perfect a signing as Arsenal could have made. A powerhouse in midfield, able to play in the 'six' role as well as in the 'eight'. His leadership qualities and big personality will be of vital importance come the business end of the season in a rather young and inexperienced team. Mikel Arteta knew this, hence why he was so desperate to sign him.
When he made the move from East to North London, a number of reports had claimed that the idea was to play Rice in the deepest midfield position, with another new signing Kai Havertz and skipper Martin Odegaard playing ahead of him.
This was trialled against Manchester United in pre-season, but to little success, as Arsenal fell to a 2-0 loss. The midfield trio looked disjointed with little cohesion, which is understandable given it was the first time they had played together.
But by the time the Community Shield arrived, Partey was the man occupying the base of midfield, with Rice and Odegaard more advanced. The Ghanaian ended up being arguably the best player on the pitch, serving as a very real reminder of just how good a player he is, and why he was considered Arsenal's most important player last season.
Partey's ability to read the game and retrieve the ball helped Arsenal ride waves of City pressure, while his high-quality aggressive passing between the lines kept his side moving briskly, especially in the last ten minutes while the Gunners were searching for a goal.
Rice is a phenomenal asset defensively as well as being a powerful runner with the ball. His recoveries are second to none, racking up 334 compared to Partey's 225. It is important to note that Partey did play in a team who had the ball significantly more though, so consequently had fewer defensive duties.
But simply put, he currently doesn't offer the same range of forward passing as Partey, in addition to not having the experience of playing as the lone holding midfielder.
Both players completed around the same number of passes per game last season (Partey's 58.97 to Rice's 56.30), with only nine players completing more passes than the former West Ham man overall. However, Partey (11) completed nearly three times as many through balls as Rice (4).
Of course, Partey had better players and more intelligent footballers around him, but even then, the naked eye will tell you that Rice is not yet as daring with his passes.
Last season, fans were debating who the best holding midfielder in England was, and Partey, Casemiro and Rodri were the three names coming up. There's a reason Rice wasn't among that conversation. He hasn't suddenly surpassed his new teammate because he now costs £105 million.
But that isn't a criticism of Rice. He is so young, and will undoubtedly improve in the areas he struggles the most. In all likelihood, he will end up being better than Partey one day.
Last season in the Premier League, Partey had a tackle success rate of 57%, while Rice was at 48%. However, the latter completed 63 interceptions compared to the former's 28. As mentioned prior, Rice is an expert at tracking back and recovering the ball, while Partey is seemingly a cleaner tackler.
Arsenal have been extremely reliant on Partey over the last two seasons, and his injury at the end of the last campaign was a major factor towards their capitulation in the title race.
They simply couldn't afford to lose him, with Jorginho offering nowhere near what he does.
This season, he remains Arsenal's lynchpin and most important figure in midfield. But this time around, there is less pressure on his shoulders, with Rice playing alongside him as well as being a very capable replacement should he get injured again.
Arteta will be hoping that Rice can help Arsenal win their first title since 2004, but he will know that that simply cannot happen without Thomas Partey.
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