Arsenal star Declan Rice already justifying £105m transfer fee… but shock stats show man he replaced doing even BETTER

ARSENAL star Declan Rice is already justifying his massive £105million transfer fee.

But shock stats show that Granit Xhaka – the man he replaced – is doing even better this season.

Rice was snapped up by the Gunners from West Ham after Xhaka was sold to Bayer Leverkusen for £21.5m.

He’s since gone on to become an integral figure in Mikel Arteta’s midfield, playing in all 12 Premier League games so far and helping the Gunners to joint-second in the table.

Likewise, Xhaka has featured in all 11 of Leverkusen’s Bundesliga matches.

And Xabi Alonso’s side now sit in top spot ahead of perennial champions Bayern Munich.

But despite playing less total minutes than Rice, the Swiss ace is actually present for MORE minutes per game on average.

Shock stats show Xhaka plays around 88 minutes per game for Leverkusen, with Rice on the pitch for an average of 85 minutes.

And Xhaka certainly dominates when it comes to win rate, boasting an incredible 91 per cent to Rice’s 67 per cent.

He is more technically proficient too, clocking up 1,097 passes to Rice’s 721.

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Incredibly, Xhaka has an accuracy rating of 93 per cent – one better than Rice.

He has also won possession 72 times to Rice’s 60, and has created three more chances than the Arsenal man’s nine.

Xhaka’s final victory comes in fouls won, landing 12 for his side compared to Rice’s six.

However, Xhaka has also conceded twice as many fouls as Rice with 14.

He has three yellows too, with Rice so far boasting a clean book.

The England ace is also clear in tackles after winning 13 of his 24 challenges, while Xhaka is successful in just nine of 14.

Rice also boasts a higher interception rate with 16 to Xhaka’s nine.

And he has two goals and an assist to his name as well, while Xhaka is yet to contribute to any goals.

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