Mikel Arteta predicts Declan Rice will take on major Arsenal role in future

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Mikel Arteta has earmarked Declan Rice as a future Arsenal captain.

According to The Daily Mail, Mikel Arteta believes that Declan Rice will one day captain Arsenal.

Martin Odegaard currently wears the armband for the north London club. There is unlikely to be any desire to strip the Norwegian midfielder of the role, as he is a key figure at the club and looks to be a good skipper.

However, Arteta has clearly been impressed by Rice’s leadership skills. The 24-year-old has settled in to life at the Emirates Stadium quickly since his £105 million arrival from West Ham United in the recent summer transfer window. He is already living up to his price tag on the pitch.

Rice was once against excellent against Manchester City on Sunday. The 45-cap England international was a dominant force in the middle of the park, blunting City’s attacking threat, as the Gunners recorded a 1-0 win.

Rice ready to show authority

He is also no stranger to leadership roles. Rice was West Ham captain throughout his final campaign with the Hammers, when he also became only the third person to ever captain the east London outfit to a major trophy triumph, following in the footsteps of Billy Bonds and Bobby Moore. Rice lifted the Europa Conference League trophy at the end of last season.

Rice will be hoping to add further medals to his collection throughout his time with Arsenal. Arteta’s side came close to clinching the Premier League title last time out, and will be aiming to go one step better this time around.

As captain or not, Rice’s leadership skills can still be a valuable asset to the Gunners. The likes of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko are both trusted as leadership figures, despite not being official captains. Arteta will be keen to see Rice lending his authority to this group.