Declan Rice provides emphatic 2-word response when asked why he chose Arsenal over other clubs
New Arsenal signing Declan Rice has provided a short and succinct reason for why he chose the Gunners this season despite having interest from other clubs.
The 24-year-old became Arsenal's record signing when the club splurged £105 million to snap up the 2022-23 UEFA Europa Conference League winner. Rice has hit the ground running at the Emirates, quickly becoming a key player in Mikel Arteta's setup.
The midfielder has started all five games across competitions, missing only nine minutes of action. The former West Ham United player opened his account for the Gunners in the thrilling 3-1 Premier League win over Manchester United at home just before the international break.
As per ESPN, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea were also in the race to sign Rice. However, the midfielder chose the Gunners for one simple reason: their manager:
As per Sash (ltarsenal), Rice responded to why he chose the Gunners despite other clubs also being interested in his services:
"The manager."
Declan Rice narrates funny incident involving Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on his first day at club
Declan Rice was one of the most sought-after defensive midfielders in the recently concluded transfer window. That explains why top clubs in the country like the two Manchester giants and Chelsea were eager to snap him up.
Rice, though, only had his eyes on the Gunners. On his first day at the club, the 24-year-old had a funny incident involving his new boss Mikel Arteta. Rice said that Arteta put a sticker on his chest that read 'I'm the new person,' showcasing the funny side of the Spaniard.
The Englishman said (as per the Mirror) that he was made to feel like 'Will off The Inbetweeners' as he tried to hide the sticker from younger colleagues in the team canteen:
“I was a bit nervous. The first day I was down there on the Sunday. The lads weren’t in but I come out of the physio room and Arteta, just like little things he does, he put a sticker on me saying, ‘Hello, I’m the new person.'"
"He just walked in and put it on my chest. All the [under] 18s and [under] 21s were in the canteen... You know Will off The Inbetweeners? I’m the new boy. And I’m walking through trying to hide my chest. Just little things like that."
Rice was last in action for England in their 1-1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying draw against Ukraine in Warsaw last week. He's also expected to feature in Gareth Southgate's side's friendly against Scotland on Tuesday (September 12).