‘Getting Arsenal back to where they belong means a lot to me’ – Rice

Declan Rice said he wants to get Arsenal “back to where they belong” after joining the club.

Rice’s move from West Ham is worth £100m plus £5m in add-ons and he arrives after captaining West Ham to the Europa Conference League title last season.

Speaking for the first time as an Arsenal player, Rice said: “It’s been a bit overwhelming because of my relationship with West Ham. [With] the love and support I have for them, it’s been really hard to walk away. In football, amazing opportunities arise. Big clubs, like Arsenal, have come for me and it’s really hard to turn down.

“You only ever get one career and I really believe in what Mikel is building here and the squad he’s building. I’m really looking forward to the future with Arsenal.

“I’ve been looking at Arsenal over the last couple of seasons and the trajectory they’ve been going on. 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.”