Rice didn't have a bad season now, did he? West Ham flirted with relegation but they came good and Rice was a bright spark in that team.

If you check his personal stats, you'd find that he has certain qualities that Arteta typically goes after. One of which is his ball carrying ability, something that Havertz is also good at.

We play in half spaces, so we need players that are comfortable in tight spaces to squeeze out those passing triangles with the full back and winger or striker that drops back. Havertz could easily be the glue with his ability to pick up pockets of spaces in attack.

The potential exit of Partey will be felt but I think we'll be fine. Replacing him with both Lavia and Rice will reduce the effect.