How Declan Rice became the Premier League's assist king this season

Declan Rice has quietly become the most creative force in the Premier League this season, and the numbers behind his transformation tell a fascinating story about how Mikel Arteta has reshaped his role.

Rice's assist for Kai Havertz against Liverpool on Sunday, a surging overlapping run finished off with a cross for the Arsenal striker to nod home, was his fifth of the season. That puts him top of the Premier League's assist charts and on course to smash his previous best of eight, set back in 2023-24. Remarkably, all five have come from open play, despite Arsenal's reputation as the league's foremost set piece threat.

According to the Daily Mail, the shift stems from a direct conversation between Rice and Arteta at the start of the campaign. Rice described it as a 'really honest conversation' about how his role could evolve further.

“I've done well but he believes I can still do more and he's drilled that into me,” Rice said. “This season I've really tried to attack that part going forward, trying to come up with assists, create chances, create moments. Being behind the ball as well, linking the play. Being involved with all aspects, for me, is my best position.”

From lighthouse to link man

Arteta once described Rice as his 'lighthouse', the fixed point team mates could orient themselves around in midfield. That description no longer fits quite so neatly. Heat maps tracking his touches across his Arsenal career show a clear evolution, from a deep, all over the pitch presence in his first season, to an attacking outlet down the left alongside Martin Zubimendi last term, to now operating more on the right this season, feeding Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke.

What is most striking is that Rice is doing his best creative work from deep rather than high up the pitch. He is averaging just one touch in the opposition box per game in the league, the lowest of any season in an Arsenal shirt, yet he is playing more forward passes, more line breaking balls into the final third, and carrying the ball forward more than ever before.

There is a statistical caveat. Rice's five assists have come from an open play expected assists tally of just 1.07, meaning he is significantly overperforming that metric, more than any other player in the division. Several of his assists, including the pass that led to Madueke's goal against Nottingham Forest and the ball that set up Havertz against Chelsea, were relatively simple deliveries that the recipient did the bulk of the work to finish.

Managing the workload

The shift also appears designed to manage Rice's physical output after a gruelling 2025-26 campaign that saw him make 69 appearances for club and country. He played through a hamstring issue from Christmas onwards and was withdrawn early from England's win over Croatia with what was described as 'neural pain' in his back.

“The body's been through a lot this season,” Rice said following England's World Cup semi final defeat by Argentina. “I think you can see I'm mentally done, physically done. I need a break now.”

This season he is averaging 6.8 miles per game, down from 7.1 over the previous two campaigns, while also recording fewer ball recoveries and possession wins in the final third than at any point in his Arsenal career. With Bruno Guimaraes, Zubimendi and Myles Lewis-Skelly all capable of covering defensive ground around him, Rice has been afforded the freedom to pick his moments rather than cover every blade of grass.

The result is a version of Rice contributing more to the final product than ever, while running less to do it, a balance that looks set to serve Arsenal well across a long season.