Declan Rice says Mikel Arteta has made him realise something ‘crazy’ about himself since joining Arsenal

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Declan Rice has opened up about the changes he’s undergone since leaving West Ham United to sign for Arsenal.

Arsenal paid £105m for the midfielder back in 2023, a price that is rarely uttered due to how impressive the Englishman has been.

Mikel Arteta’s side have been taken to the next level thanks to Rice, who makes Arsenal so much better in the middle of the park. 

Despite being at the Emirates for just two years, it’s hard to imagine the Arsenal squad without Rice in it, but not only because of his dominance in the midfield. 

• READ MORE: Declan Rice says two Arsenal stars blew him away when he first joined

Declan Rice didn’t expect to be a set-piece taker at Arsenal 

When signing Rice, Arsenal knew they were getting one of the best central midfielders in Europe, but what they perhaps didn’t anticipate was the goal threat the 26-year-old would bring.

Rice is a set-piece expert, consistently providing spectacular deliveries into the box for his teammates to attack, something the player himself didn’t even realise he had in his locker.

In an interview with TNT Sports, Rice was prompted to comment on how good he is in dead-ball situations, to which he admitted it was never something he explored before joining Arsenal.

“It’s crazy because I didn’t come here to be a set-piece taker,” Rice admitted.

“It’s something the manager sees in me and the set-piece coach sees in me, I feel like they had more belief in me than I had in myself in taking them.

“Then the more I started to take them and get confident with it, I realised I could do what they want.”

If there’s one person opposition defences don’t want to see standing over a free kick or a corner, it’s Rice, who added to his goal contribution tally on matchday six by assisting Mikel Merino’s equaliser against Newcastle United.

Rice’s goal contribution has rocketed since leaving West Ham

Did Arsenal know they were signing a combative and smart midfielder from West Ham? Yes.

Did Arsenal know they were signing a set-piece specialist from West Ham? Perhaps not.

The numbers only exaggerate just how much Rice’s game has developed since he signed for Arsenal, already surpassing the goal contribution tally he racked up over six years as a senior member of the Hammers’ squad. 

In 134 fewer appearances, Rice has contributed to 11 more goals at Arsenal than he did at West Ham, which is staggering.

Already, the England international has 39 goal contributions for Arsenal to his name, 23 of which are assists, largely from set-piece scenarios.

Rice will have no regrets about joining Arsenal, not just to compete for the Premier League title, but to unlock areas of his game that he wasn’t aware existed.