Declan Rice addressed his new Arsenal teammates following his record transfer from West Ham (Picture: Arsenal FC)
Declan Rice addressed his new Arsenal teammates for the first time and outlined is trophy desire following his club-record transfer.
The 24-year-old’s departure from the club he joined a decade ago in a club-record £105million deal – making him the most expensive English player in history – was confirmed by the Hammers ahead of his imminent move to north London.
Rice’s last act as a West Ham player was to become only the third captain in their history, behind Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds, to lift a major trophy after last month’s Europa Conference League victory over Fiorentina.
The England international’s leadership qualities are only part of what convinced Mikel Arteta to spend such a significant portion of his transfer budget on a player he hopes will have a transformative effect on his side.
Rice was introduced to the first team squad on Friday by Arteta and announced his intent to help end a three-year trophy drought.
He said: ‘I’ll say a few words. Obviously it’s my first day, I’m really looking forward to playing with you all, to share many good moments with you together.
‘I’ve obviously been seeing what you guys have been doing the last couple of seasons so I’m really looking forward to getting started and hopefully enjoying a few trophies together.’
Rice, of course, already knows many of his Arsenal colleagues from his time playing with the likes of Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White and Bukayo Saka for the Three Lions.
‘It’s going to be an honour,’ he told Arsenal’s official website. ‘There are some unbelievable players I’ve played with at international level and now I get to share those same duties at club level.
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‘All of them have spoken so highly about the club – how each and every one of them have improved under the manager. When you hear things like that, you really take it in your stride and listen.
‘You’ve got players like Saks, who’s now one of the best wingers in the world. There’s Rammers, who is one of the best keepers. You’ve got Whitey at right-back, who was unreal last year.
‘There’s Smith Rowe and so many in the squad. They all speak so glowingly of the club and the direction it’s been going in the last few years, so it’s really exciting.’
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You can tell he’s a real leader.
