Leandro Trossard believes ‘all the players’ are happy to have Declan Rice at Arsenal as the Gunners’ club record signing is who Mikel Arteta was missing at Emirates Stadium.
Stan Kroenke, Arsenal’s owner, let Arteta break the bank to get Rice to north London in July for £100m. His move from West Ham United to Emirates Stadium can end up costing Arsenal £105m after-ons. But the fee gave the Gunners one of the Premier League’s elite midfielders.
Rice had proven over multiple seasons at London Stadium his ability to lock down the engine room. The 24-year-old anchored their unit like few others in the division to give the Irons the platform to thrive. He even left west London having captained the club to a European trophy.
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Declan Rice has enjoyed a promising start to his Arsenal career
West Ham won their first major title since 1980 when Rice held aloft the Europa Conference League trophy in June. It proved to be the 43-cap England international’s last game in claret-and-blue. He departed after 245 first-team appearances and with 15 goals plus 13 assists.
Rice did not have as long to wait to touch silverware again having started in the Community Shield as Arsenal beat Manchester City. Arteta has since also started the former Republic of Ireland prospect in each of the Gunners’ opening two Premier League matches for 2023/24.
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Nottingham Forest felt the force of Rice’s defensive abilities on the opening day and almost conceded to Arsenal’s record signing. The Reds’ new recruit from the Gunners, Matt Turner, tipped Rice’s effort onto the post. Rice ended the fixture having won four of his five tackles.
Arteta saw Rice’s ability on the ball come to the fore as Arsenal held on to win 1-0 at Crystal Palace on Monday, too. He gave a composed presence to spread play and read the Eagles’ efforts well. Eddie Nketiah also spurned a glorious chance for Rice’s maiden Gunners assist.
What has Leandro Trossard said about Declan Rice at the Emirates?
Rice has enjoyed a very promising start to his Arsenal career and Trossard believes his skills were what they lacked. The Belgian – who Rice named as the Arsenal player he immediately grew close to – also believes everyone at the Emirates is glad to have the England enforcer.
Trossard has told Arsenal’s in-house media: “Declan’s a really good guy and, from the day he joined, I tried to help him to settle in. From that day, we had a good connection. He’s a top player but also a top guy to speak with and we get along quite good.
“He can help us in ways we didn’t have before. All the players are happy with the team now. We want to win every game and that’s what we’re competing for.”