Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta showered praise on star Declan Rice and the impact of the Englishman since his move to the Gunners from fellow Premier League side West Ham.
Arsenal sit at the top of the PL and UCL tables, and Arteta noted the crucial role the 26-year-old midfielder has played in the ascent of the Gunners.
“Now, being with him every single day, understanding and connecting with him in the way I have done, we are going to get more” Arteta said.
“Because he wants more, the team knows him better, his role is growing around the team. The impact he has on the team, it’s huge.”
“I knew him for a long time and I knew how he could evolve and change the team,” said Arteta.
“He has certainly done it and probably improved on those expectations.”
Arteta
also touched upon Rice’s role in the leadership circle of the title-aspirants and the confidence and assurance his sheer presence in the middle of the park makes.
“Obviously he was captain at West Ham. He comes here to a new club, a new environment, and there were things already set, but he has earned the right to increase that role,”
“To be more important, to be very present in everything we do, he’s in the leadership group, which is very important.
“He’s a real presence. He doesn’t need to wear the armband to feel really connected, really powerful and really important in the team.”
Earlier in the week, Rice expressed his belief that head coach Mikel Arteta will achieve every major accolade by the end of his managerial career.
Arteta aims to end a two-decade-long wait by bringing the coveted Premier League title back to the Emirates, with the Gunners currently leading the English top-flight.
Under the guidance of Arteta, a former protégé of Manchester City boss and tactical genius Pep Guardiola, title contenders Arsenal hold a 7-point lead over City after 12 games. Guardiola remarked that it might be challenging to catch up with the table-topping Arsenal if the Gunners manage to increase the distance between themselves and the chasing pack, given the quality within the London-based team.
