Rice hails 'very lucky' Arsenal as Arteta commits to club until 2030

Declan Rice has described Arsenal as ‘very lucky’ following Mikel Arteta’s new contract, which commits the Spaniard to the club until 2030 — a deal that would take him into a full decade as manager at the Emirates Stadium.

Arteta, who replaced Unai Emery in December 2019, signed the extension earlier this week. Under his stewardship, Arsenal have been transformed from a mid-table side into Premier League champions, and last season reached the Champions League final for the first time in the club’s history.

Rice, speaking to ESPN Brazil, was effusive in his praise for the manager’s attention to detail. ‘It’s just tactically, training, managing, the detail he goes into, the things he sees that you would never see,’ the midfielder said. ‘He’s constantly watching you when you don’t think you’re being watched. He’s watching, constantly asking questions to try and catch you out, to see if you’re listening. He’s always keeping you on your toes, making sure that you’re ready.’

The former West Ham captain went further, crediting Arteta’s meticulous preparation as the defining factor in his assessment of him. ‘Every time we go into games, tactically we know what we’re doing — defensively, with the ball, how we’re going to beat the opposition. It’s just the fine details, the way he breaks everything down, which makes him the best for me,’ Rice added. ‘It’s amazing that he signed a new contract and we get to have him as our manager for the next four years. So, we’ll be very lucky.’

Rice also addressed the challenge of defending the Premier League title, acknowledging the shift in expectation that comes with being champions. ‘It was an amazing achievement, but this year’s a brand new season: new team, new opposition, new players,’ he said. ‘OK, we are the champions, but we don’t go on the pitch and think about last season. We’re definitely playing with more confidence this season — you can feel that within the group — but it’s about staying humble and taking each game as it comes.’

Arsenal resume their title defence against Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.