Finally. After many weeks of apnea, Arsenal supporters were finally able to breathe this Saturday following the formalization of the arrival of Declan Rice in the London tunic. Faced with the gluttony, which paid off, from West Ham and the many requests from Bayern Munich and Manchester City, the Gunners had to fight to secure the services. By paying no less than 115 million euros, plus five bonuses, the second of the last Premier League exercise got their hands on the English midfielder, thus completing a third choice rookie after Jurriën Timber and Kai Havertz.
And while the excitement is present among Arsenal supporters, it is also present among the Three Lions international who did not hide his joy at the microphone of the club media: “First of all I just want to say a big thank you to all the Arsenal fans for the support so far. It’s been overwhelming – there’s been a lot going on, a lot of speculation for months. But obviously, as a player, you want things settled as quickly as possible, so you’re settled. Today I had my first day and I really feel at home. I just want to say that it is an absolute privilege to be part of Arsenal Football Club. The history and the players who have played here speak for themselves. And now that I’ve joined, we have other signings as well, we’re looking to bring Arsenal back to the big time, to win stuff.»
Rice is looking forward to playing under Mikel Arteta and alongside his England team-mates
Priority recruit of Mikel Arteta, the native of London will have the keys to the midfield of the residents of the Emirates Stadium. Impressed by the play deployed by the Spanish technician, Rice already sees himself as the centerpiece of a midfielder who aspires to control the game at all times. In addition, evolving under the orders of a former midfielder represents a pleasurable opportunity for the person concerned: “With Mikel and how he works, the team, the youth of everyone, the energy around the club and also the challenge of bringing Arsenal back to where they belong, it means a lot to me. I know the fans really want that. For me as a player, I came here really hungry to have more success and spend my best years at this great club. I’m so excited – it speaks for itself. You see how he works – you get a real insight into how he works on the Amazon documentary, how he works with his players and not just as a coach but psychologically how good he is with players, how it improves the players. He is a big factor in why I came here. I know he will get the best out of me. I know I have more levels to climb in my game, and I feel like he is the manager who will take me to those higher levels. I’m really excited to work with him.»
By signing for Arsenal, Declan Rice will also have the opportunity to play alongside many friends and teammates in the England team. And the least we can say is that the latter is already eager to find faces that are familiar to him: “There are some incredible players I have played with at international level and now I share those same duties at club level. All praised the club – how each of them has improved under the manager. When you hear stuff like that, you really take it in your stride and listen. You have players like Saks (Bukayo Saka), who is now one of the best wingers in the world. There’s Rammers (Aaron Ramsdale), who is one of the best goalkeepers. You have Whitey (Ben White) at right-back, which was unreal last year. There’s Smith Rowe and so many others on the team. They all speak so highly of the club and the direction it has taken in recent years, so it’s really exciting. I played with Eddie from under nine to under 14. We were both released on the same day and it’s crazy where football takes you, your journey. I have always loved him and been close to his family. His dad is a top, top guy who used to come on all the tours with us when we were kids, so I’m really looking forward to seeing Eddie again and of course the other boys.“We can’t wait to see all these beautiful people at work under the tunic of Arsenal.
