Declan Rice has his eyes on winning the Premier League title in his first season at Arsenal – and hopes that “crazy” team-mate Bukayo Saka can help the Gunners become champions.
Rice, 24, recently linked up with Saka and co in a record-breaking transfer deal worth £105million. Already in the thick of it while on the club’s tour of the United States, the former West Ham captain has been loving life among his new team-mates, and knows exactly what manager Mikel Arteta is aiming for when the serious stuff gets started in August.
Arsenal finished second in Premier League last season, five points behind champions Manchester City, despite comfortably holding first place for the vast majority of the campaign. Rice is aiming to help the Gunners “go one better” this time around, telling the club’s YouTube channel: “I can’t wait!
“When I signed I was speaking to the manager and when we were stood there looking out from the box, it was so surreal. What a stadium and we’re very lucky to play our home football there. Last year, the place was crazy with the atmosphere and the fans. Some of the games… hopefully this year we can go one better and excite the fans even more.”
Then England international went on to laud Arsenal star Saka, who he’s already shared the stage with at two major international tournaments and was sat next to during the interview. “You wouldn’t have known this but I watched you play for England’s under 17s at St George’s [Park] or under 18s,” Rice told his new club team-mate.
“He played left wing-back, that’s when I first saw Saka, the growth since then has just been crazy! Straight away everyone just loved him just because of just how he is, he’s happy and on the training pitch he works so hard. I think he had the respect of everyone straight away.”
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It’s not the first time that the 24-year-old has heaped praise on Saka. After the Gunners ace scored for England to help them reach the World Cup quarter-finals last November, 15 months after missing a penalty in the final of Euro 2020 as the Three Lions were agonisingly beaten on home soil by Italy, Rice was quoted by the Evening Standard as saying: “It’s unbelievable what he’s done.”
“It says everything about his strength of character. You saw what happened last summer, everyone was with him then. He is flourishing with Arsenal, he is playing with a smile on his face. You see him around the training ground, he is the happiest person around the place. We are all so happy for him.”
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