Mikel Arteta has earmarked Declan Rice as a future Arsenal captain should he reject a move to Manchester City.
The Gunners have been targeting the West Ham and England midfielder for the vast majority of the summer. They have already lodged two bids for his signature, with the Hammers rebuffing both of those, but have not yet been put off.
Their task might be slightly more difficult with Manchester City now in the race for Rice after tabling a £100m bid. Despite that, Arteta has already put detailed plans in place for the midfielder’s role should he arrive at the Emirates Stadium.
According to The Daily Mail, the Spaniard believes that Rice will immediately assume a place in Arsenal’s leadership group. It is suggested that he could replace Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka - who has been linked with a move to Bayer Leverkusen this summer.
Rice’s role would then grow the longer that he stays in North London, with the 24-year-old eventually going on to become Arsenal captain. Norwegian playmaker Martin Odegaard currently possesses the armband.
Rice is of course captain at West Ham, a role he claimed at the start of this season following the retirement of club legend Mark Noble. Asked if he enjoys the role, he replied: “Yeah, definitely!
Where do you think Rice will be playing next season? Share your thoughts in the comments below
“I feel like it’s a dream to be the captain of a football club. Any football club, it’s an absolute honour, and now I get to captain West Ham. With the history behind West Ham, it’s special.”
Whilst Rice believes that he would thrive in the role, he also has the backing of England boss Gareth Southgate. The Three Lions’ manager has hailed the midfielder for his leadership qualities whilst on the international stage.
Speaking in 2021, Southgate said: “He is a real sponge for tactical information and observations on his game and is desperate to be the best he can possibly be.
“Even though he is a young player, he has got tremendous leadership qualities. He is captaining his club [West Ham] at an incredibly young age. So you can see all the signs of what might be possible.
“There are the experiences he has been through now. But also he is getting older and more mature and broader with his outlook on everything — and because of his mentality he is going to improve even more.”
Regardless of who wins the race to sign Rice, either Arsenal or Man City are gaining a player who is fresh off the back of another highly impressive season. He played a key role in the Hammers lifting the Europa Conference League title.
