Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has lifted the lid on his reasoning for rejecting a move to the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United during the summer transfer window
Declan Rice has opened up on why he decided to join Arsenal over the likes of Manchester City during the summer transfer window.
The north Londoners made Rice their priority target for the summer window, as football.london revealed back in January. But they faced stiff competition to sign the 24-year-old, with City, Bayern Munich and Manchester United also heavily linked.
When asked why he chose the Gunners over other interested clubs, Rice told Channel 4: "The manager. Mikel. From the moment I met him I knew he was the one I wanted to take care of the next part of my career.
"The way he spoke, his aura, the way he sees the game." It will be music to Arsenal supporters' ears that Arteta played such a big role in recruiting a highly-sought after player.
The Spaniard has been in the managerial hot seat for a little under four years, narrowly missing out on the Premier League title last season. The hope now is of course to go one step further and try and beat reigning champions Manchester City to the crown this term, a task that Rice himself has admitted will be extremely tough.
Speaking to Sky Sports last month, the tough-tackling midfielder said: "Last year there was big pressure on Arsenal to win the Premier League and that's why I signed. I believe in the vision, I believe in the manager, I believe in the team, how young and hungry we all are.
"Manchester City are the best team in the world at the minute and they're tough to stop but it's a great challenge ahead. Let's keep fighting, keep pushing and take each game as it comes."