Sport nationDeclan Rice’s honest Arsenal admission resurfaces ahead of West Ham reunion
Arsenal’s club-record signing has become one of their most important players in very little time and Mikel Arteta will need Declan Rice at his very best ahead of a reunion with former side West Ham
Declan Rice is gearing up for his first league meeting with former side West Ham as an Arsenal player and past comments made by the midfielder have resurfaced as a result.
The England international became the most expensive British player in football history when the Gunners forked out £105million to pry him away from the Hammers. It has since proved to be an inspired decision, with Rice enjoying a sensational start to life at the Emirates and even popping up with multiple last-gasp winners to endear himself to fans further.
Rice has spoken highly of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta a number of times, publicly explaining how the Spaniard was one of the main reasons he was so keen to join the club. The 24-year-old even heaped praise on the Gunners boss before he’d actually become an Arsenal player.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta issues Declan Rice warning ahead of emotional West Ham reunion
Mikel Arteta’s top three January transfer targets to keep Arsenal title bid on track
Boxing Day of 2022 saw Rice take on the Gunners at the Emirates as a West Ham player. Said Benrahma opened the scoring for the Hammers, but three second-half goals in 16 minutes from the hosts ensured it was Arsenal who took all three points.
At the time, the result put Arteta’s side at the top of the Premier League. There was real optimism that the Gunners lengthy wait for a league title would finally come to an end and then-Hammer Rice confessed he thought Arsenal were the real deal.
Speaking after the game, the midfielder explained: “First half, even though we didn’t have much of the ball, we defended really well, stopped them really well and had a plan.
HAVE YOUR SAY!Is Rice the best midfielder in the Premier League? Comment below
Declan Rice was left impressed with the way Arsenal played during his last trip to the Emirates as a West Ham player
Declan Rice was left impressed with the way Arsenal played during his last trip to the Emirates as a West Ham player
“But you can’t sustain that for 90 minutes especially against a team like Arsenal. In the end, one of their chances will create something, and their free-flowing football managed to get through. We couldn’t just get up the pitch [after the equaliser], they smothered us all over the pitch.
“100 per cent [they can win the league]. They’re a top team, you can see they are coached incredibly well. They have a lot of attacking talent and a young squad, and they could go the whole way for sure. We tried as hard as we could to stop them, but it’s really hard, and in the end we came up short.”
The comments on how Arsenal were ‘coached incredibly well’ were particularly eye-opening and perhaps the first hint that a move to the Emirates was in the offing. Rice has already returned to the London Stadium with the Gunners, during the 3-1 defeat by West Ham in the Carabao Cup last month.
He’ll be hoping their first league meeting of the season goes in his favour, as Arsenal aim to return to the top of the table with a victory.
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Watch Premier League on Amazon for free
Watch the midweek fixtures on Amazon Prime Video
A 30-day free trial and then £8.99 month
Amazon will be broadcasting 20 live games across December and if you’re a new customer you can sign up to Amazon Prime Video and get a 30-day free trial. Amazon will be showing all 10 of this week’s festive games such as Manchester United vs Aston Villa and Everton vs Manchester City
Declan Rice’s honest Arsenal admission resurfaces ahead of West Ham reunion
Arsenal’s club-record signing has become one of their most important players in very little time and Mikel Arteta will need Declan Rice at his very best ahead of a reunion with former side West Ham
Declan Rice is gearing up for his first league meeting with former side West Ham as an Arsenal player and past comments made by the midfielder have resurfaced as a result.
The England international became the most expensive British player in football history when the Gunners forked out £105million to pry him away from the Hammers. It has since proved to be an inspired decision, with Rice enjoying a sensational start to life at the Emirates and even popping up with multiple last-gasp winners to endear himself to fans further.
Rice has spoken highly of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta a number of times, publicly explaining how the Spaniard was one of the main reasons he was so keen to join the club. The 24-year-old even heaped praise on the Gunners boss before he’d actually become an Arsenal player.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta issues Declan Rice warning ahead of emotional West Ham reunion
Mikel Arteta’s top three January transfer targets to keep Arsenal title bid on track
Boxing Day of 2022 saw Rice take on the Gunners at the Emirates as a West Ham player. Said Benrahma opened the scoring for the Hammers, but three second-half goals in 16 minutes from the hosts ensured it was Arsenal who took all three points.
At the time, the result put Arteta’s side at the top of the Premier League. There was real optimism that the Gunners lengthy wait for a league title would finally come to an end and then-Hammer Rice confessed he thought Arsenal were the real deal.
Speaking after the game, the midfielder explained: “First half, even though we didn’t have much of the ball, we defended really well, stopped them really well and had a plan.
HAVE YOUR SAY!Is Rice the best midfielder in the Premier League? Comment below
Declan Rice was left impressed with the way Arsenal played during his last trip to the Emirates as a West Ham player
Declan Rice was left impressed with the way Arsenal played during his last trip to the Emirates as a West Ham player
“But you can’t sustain that for 90 minutes especially against a team like Arsenal. In the end, one of their chances will create something, and their free-flowing football managed to get through. We couldn’t just get up the pitch [after the equaliser], they smothered us all over the pitch.
“100 per cent [they can win the league]. They’re a top team, you can see they are coached incredibly well. They have a lot of attacking talent and a young squad, and they could go the whole way for sure. We tried as hard as we could to stop them, but it’s really hard, and in the end we came up short.”
The comments on how Arsenal were ‘coached incredibly well’ were particularly eye-opening and perhaps the first hint that a move to the Emirates was in the offing. Rice has already returned to the London Stadium with the Gunners, during the 3-1 defeat by West Ham in the Carabao Cup last month.
He’ll be hoping their first league meeting of the season goes in his favour, as Arsenal aim to return to the top of the table with a victory.
Join our new WhatsApp community! Click this link to receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Watch Premier League on Amazon for free
Watch the midweek fixtures on Amazon Prime Video
A 30-day free trial and then £8.99 month
Amazon will be broadcasting 20 live games across December and if you’re a new customer you can sign up to Amazon Prime Video and get a 30-day free trial. Amazon will be showing all 10 of this week’s festive games such as Manchester United vs Aston Villa and Everton vs Manchester City
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