Declan Rice recalls first meeting with Mikel Arteta & memories of Bukayo Saka
- Rice joined Arsenal from West Ham this summer
- Midfielder became most expensive British player in history at £105m
- Kai Havertz & Jurrien Timber have also taken Arsenal's summer spending to over £200m
By Tom Gott
Declan Rice has recalled the 'surreal' moment he first met Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after sealing his £105m move to the Gunners this summer.
The midfielder had suitors from across the Premier League but soon decided to take his talents to the Emirates Stadium where, alongside Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber, he headlines a summer spend of over £200m.
It was inside the stadium that Rice first came face-to-face with Arteta, and the 24-year-old has revealed the impact of that meeting with his new boss.
"When I signed I was speaking to the manager and when we were stood there looking out from the box, it was so surreal," he told club media. "What a stadium and we're very lucky to play our home football there.
"Last year, the place was crazy with the atmosphere and the fans. Some of the games...hopefully this year we can go one better and excite the fans even more."
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Rice was being interviewed alongside new club teammate Bukayo Saka and actually revealed he has been tracking the Arsenal winger's career for longer than expected.
"You wouldn't have known this but I watched you play for England's Under-17s at St George's [Park] or Under-18s," Rice told Saka.
"He played left wing-back, that's when I first saw Saka, the growth since then has just been crazy! Straight away everyone just loved him just because of just how he is, he's happy and on the training pitch he works so hard.
"I think he had the respect of everyone straight away."
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