Arsenal fans are confident that their club-record signing, Declan Rice, ‘gets it already’ after the midfielder’s subtle action right before his debut against Nottingham Forest.
The Emirates Stadium fanbase got to see Rice making his Premier League debut for the club this Saturday. Manager Mikel Arteta elected to start his summer signing against Nottingham Forest in north London. After all, he paid West Ham United £100m, rising to £105m, for him.
A last-minute delay to kick-off meant Arsenal fans had to wait a further 30 minutes for their term to start. Issues with the Gunners’ new all-digital ticket process at the turnstiles meant hordes of fans remained stuck outside the ground. The match did not start until 13:00 BST.
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Declan Rice makes his Premier League debut for Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest
But some fans watching on TV also saw Rice’s subtle action right before his Arsenal debut that convinced them that the 24-year-old ‘gets it already’ after signing from West Ham back in July. The midfielder switched east to north London on an initial five-year contract to 2028.
Eagle-eyed Arsenal supporters saw a glimpse of Rice singing along to the club’s pre-match anthem. The Gunners adopted Louis Dunford’s ‘The Angel’ during the 2021/22 campaign to help boost their pre-game atmosphere. It has since remained the club’s official go-to song.
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Gunners fans spot Declan Rice’s subtle action before kick-off
Dunford’s song contains the lyric, ‘north London forever’. And some Arsenal fans were quick to take delight in Rice joining in singing the song before facing Nottingham Forest. One fan even took to Twitter to claim Rice ‘gets it already’ having settled straight in at his new club.
But it will take Rice a lot more than singing along to ‘The Angel’ to justify the club-record fee Arsenal spent on his transfer. What the England international achieves at Emirates Stadium on the pitch will be what defines whether or not boss Arteta has signed a future club hero.