Rice: Arteta will take me to the next level

Declan Rice says Mikel Arteta is a huge reason behind his move to Arsenal, saying his new manager can improve his game and get the Gunners "back where they belong". 

After months of transfer speculation, Rice was officially unveiled as an Arsenal player on Saturday for a fee West Ham United say is a British transfer record. 

Rice has developed into one of the Premier League's best central midfielders, but he says there is more to come and that Arteta is the coach to unlock his potential.

'I believe in what Mikel is building'

"I’ve been looking at Arsenal over the last couple of seasons and the trajectory they’ve been going on," Rice told Arsenal's official website. "Not last season but the season before, they finished fifth but you could see the style of play Mikel was implementing. Last season was an outstanding season, blowing pretty much every team out of the water with the exception of Man City.

"With Mikel and how he works, the squad, how young everyone is, the energy around the club and also the challenge of getting Arsenal back to where they belong, that means a lot to me. I know the fans really want that. For me as a player, I’ve come here really hungry to have more success and to spend my best years at this great club.

"I’m so excited [to work with Arteta]. He speaks for himself. You see how he works - you got a real insight into how he works on the Amazon documentary, how he works with his players and not only as a coach, but psychologically how good he is with players, how he improves players. He’s a massive factor in the reason why I’ve come here.

"I know he’s going to get the best out of me. I know I’ve got more levels to go up in my game, and I feel like he’s the manager to take me to those next levels. You only ever get one career and I really believe in what Mikel is building here and the squad he’s building."

'It's been overwhelming'

Rice has already been blown away by the support he has received by Arsenal fans and says they too played a big part in his desire to join the club.

"I want to say a massive thank you to all the Arsenal fans for the support so far. It’s been overwhelming," he said.

"One thing about Arsenal is the fans are so passionate. They’re not scared to voice their opinion and rightly so, because this is a massive club. They demand - and us as players should demand that of each other - to push and to be successful again.

"Growing up, the history of Arsenal - you always hear about the Invincibles, the famous game at Anfield, you see these things all the time. I’ve always known Arsenal as a big club but when I’ve been on holiday and had people coming up to me in London, you don’t realise how big Arsenal is - but now I do." 

Rice says he "already feels at home" at Arsenal and is looking forward to travelling to the club's pre-season tour of the United States, which gets under way on 19 July.

"We’ve got three fixtures in three great stadiums," he added. "Pre-season comes around once a year so it’s time to enjoy, get fit and start winning games."

Rice's message to Arsenal fans

"I just want to say it’s an absolute privilege to be a part of Arsenal Football Club. The history and the players that have played here speak for themselves. And now I have joined, we’ve got some other signings as well, we are looking to get Arsenal back to the big time, back to winning stuff.

"You’ve seen over the past few years how well this squad has been with the manager and there is a real feelgood factor around the place. So I’m hungry, I’m ready and I’m going to give everything for this club like I do week in, week out. We’re going to be on some journey, so I’m looking forward to it."

Read Rice's first Arsenal interview in full