Arsenal look to have finally got their man in £105m Declan Rice

You may know that 71 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. What you may not know is that the other 29 percent is covered by Declan Rice.

At least that’s what it felt like to see him man West Ham’s midfield last season, which is what Arsenal are now spending at least £100m to fend for themselves.

They sign a forever fit (Rice has played at least 80 percent of possible top-flight minutes in each of the past five seasons), never a 24-year-old whose specialty is being in the right place at the right time: to get the ball win cleanly and carry forward at high speed.

Now that West Ham and Arsenal have agreed on the price – with talks on the payment structure – Mikel Arteta can start looking at how he can use Rice.

Staring at his whiteboard – a staple of every Premier League manager’s office – there’s an obvious space where Rice’s magnet should be placed.

Rice has played at least 80 percent of possible top minutes in each of the past five seasons

Mikel Arteta can now start thinking about how to use the 24-year-old in midfield

It forms the core of the team rather than Thomas Partey, who has been linked with a departure from Arsenal.

Rice will be on permanent patrol at No. 6. There to interrupt any counter-attacks if and when his teammates higher up the field lose the ball. There to predict the next pass. There to pounce.

There to bring it forward through the lines. There to hand it to Martin Odegaard or Kai Havertz – the two advanced No. 8s who could sit on either side of him – or use his underrated passing range to play in Bukayo Saka or Gabriel Martinelli.

It allows Arsenal to turn defense into attack in the blink of an eye; a quick transition that takes them from endangered to dangerous.

West Ham benefited from this final season, with Rice making more interceptions than any other player in the Premier League (he topped with 63, next was Brighton’s Moises Caicedo with 56) and his box-to-box movement made them a threat when they won possession.

In addition to interrupting play, Rice is expected to move forward. Last season he was 25th in the Premier League in progressive series and when you consider that he’s up against wingers like Jack Grealish, Saka, Martinelli and Kaoru Mitoma in that category, that’s an impressive statistic.

It will be intriguing to see how Arteta uses him in possession. Full backs Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ben White – or Jurrien Timber if Arsenal take him from Ajax – are adept at moving into midfield.

Whether Rice will be told to take up more advanced positions when that happens, or keep the fort as a night watchman, we don’t know yet.

It will be intriguing to see how Arteta uses the England international when in possession

Arsenal’s midfield impressed last season as they battled for the title, but both Granit Xhaka (left) and Thomas Partey (right) have been linked with a transfer.

Rice will also have to be prepared to receive the ball from Gabriel (left) and William Saliba (center)

He will definitely be needed when playing from behind. At West Ham, Rice never shied away from receiving the ball from centre-backs Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma. They played more passes to him than anyone else.

At Arsenal he will have to make himself available to William Saliba and Gabriel before he goes into space or finds someone further down the line.

Rice has discussed his desire to improve his attacking output while at West Ham. But primarily, as someone who plays like he has a crystal ball stuck in his sock, his role is to predict and prevent.

Just as he did when he took possession from Partey at the London Stadium in April – kick-starting a West Ham comeback in a 2-2 draw that dealt a tremendous blow to Arsenal’s title hopes.

In terms of ability, it’s easy to see why Arsenal have been pushing so intensely for this England international, so much so that they’re poised to break the record for a British player.

He’s an upgrade from Partey, both defensively and offensively, and only Manchester City’s Rodri can threaten his status as the Premier League’s best defensive midfielder.

Only Manchester City’s Rodri (pictured) can challenge his status as the league’s best defensive midfielder

The 24-year-old is regarded as having a brilliant appearance in the dressing room – an important benchmark

Still, there are other areas to consider. Arsenal have long been accused of lacking leadership, but at the age of 24, Rice led West Ham to the Europa Conference League trophy in his first season as club captain following the retirement of Mark Noble.

It may not show up in many football stats, but according to everyone who knows him, Rice is a good character; someone you want in your dressing room.

West Ham realize they are losing a special player and person.

Some might say Rice isn’t worth £100m plus, but he’s with Arsenal in their pursuit of their first Premier League title since 2004.