Declan Rice makes Arsenal transfer admission and opens up on Champions League 'hurt'
Declan Rice has applauded Arsenal's summer transfer business(Image: Franco Romano/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Declan Rice is hungry to play every single week and is ready for another 60-game plus season with Arsenal as they fight on four fronts. For England and Arsenal, the 27-year-old played 69 matches last season, winning the Premier League title and reaching both the League Cup and Champions League final before playing through to the semi-finals of the World Cup.
Many have questioned whether or not the former West Ham captain’s output is sustainable after dealing with a neural hamstring issue, but there is no doubt in Rice’s mind what he is capable of.
“I think for the last six seasons, even since my West Ham days when it was in Europe, I've played 60 plus every season,” he said. “So I think it is sustainable because I've shown that I can do it.
“It's just about maintaining it, maintaining the level and the consistency of the performances. For me, that's the main thing: showing up every week, giving a good account of myself and helping the team win.
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“I've been lucky enough to be able to do that. So I'm really hungry to be able to do that again this season.”
To aid the load, Arsenal have invested again in their midfield, spending £75million on Bruno Guimaraes and allowing only Christian Norgaard to leave.
The Dane barely featured under Mikel Arteta last season, while Guimaraes offers a significant upgrade but also furthers the competition for minutes for the likes of Rice.
Add to that Myles Lewis-Skelly, Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard to create what many feel is the best midfield selection in Europe, but Rice doesn’t see competition; he sees a group geared to winning.
“I feel incredibly blessed to play with these players,” Rice said. “We have six incredible midfield options, and at whatever point, whoever the manager selects to play, I'm always going to be supporting the boys because now I have that feeling of winning last season.
“That's all I want to do again this year. And with this midfield and whoever he selects, we've got to be supportive of each other.
“So, yes, I'm really looking forward to this season with every one of them. So it's going to be really special.”
Rice started the first Champions League game of the new season away at Napoli where the Gunners were dominant but wasteful in their performance.
Chances came and went until Odegaard produced a moment of magic to break the blue wall and claim all three points for the Gunners to get them off to a winning start.
Rice reflected on watching Paris Saint-Germain lifting the trophy last season at their expense inn the final, and believes that the work done to improve the squad has set them up in the perfect way for this new journey.
“I feel like with the additions that we've added as well and the way we've gone about the Champions League the last few years, we have the abilities and the capabilities to do it,” Rice explained. “It's just about taking that extra step.
“We're only in September. There's still such a long way to go in the Champions League and we have some big games coming up.
“So we just have to embrace it and see what this journey takes us on again. But that's why we play football.
“Losing that Champions League final really hurt. Seeing that trophy and seeing PSG lift it, that stays with you. So, let's see what happens in the competition.”
Arsenal face Napoli in their opening Champions League fixture on September 9. Fans can watch the game live on TNT Sports via HBO Max or Prime Video's TNT Sports channel.
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