Declan Rice hints at new Arsenal 'position' as Mikel Arteta claim made
Rice recently completed the £105 million move to the Emirates from West Ham.
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Topics: Declan Rice, Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, Football
Joe Adams
Topics: Declan Rice, Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, Football
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has revealed the 'positional changes' he has had to make to his game under Mikel Arteta.
Earlier in July, Rice, completed the £105 million move from West Ham to Arsenal after months of speculation.
The 24-year-old became Mikel Arteta's third signing of the summer, following on from Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber, with the trio costing over £200m in total.
But despite only being with the squad for 10 days, Rice has been overwhelmed by his new manager's meticulous attention to detail and obsession with winning.
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Speaking in an interview with The Telegraph on Wednesday, Rice lifted the lid on his first impressions of the Gunners boss.
“Genuinely, in the last 10 days I have been blown away by how he is constantly thinking about football, how he is so oriented to win," said Rice. "How everyone is all in the same direction to win, to be together.”
Rice also opened up on the "tactical aspect" of Arteta's coaching, revealing the "positional" changes he has had to make to his game.
“The positional sense of not being on the same line, not coming towards the ball too early, staying away from it and creating space for others,” Rice added. “It’s so much to take in.
“I genuinely feel like the next football match I will watch, I will watch it in a completely different way. Usually I just watch football for the fun of it. Now I am probably going to watch the tactical aspect.
Rice admitted it would "take time" to redefine his position, but believes that under Arteta's guidance, he "can improve tenfold".
“I am not going to learn it in two weeks. It is going to take some time but, once I have got it, and once I add the stuff he [Arteta] wants to my game, along with my qualities, hopefully I can improve tenfold.”