Mikel Arteta says Declan Rice’s “big presence and aura” has been a huge boost to Arsenal since his arrival in the summer.
Rice joined from West Ham United in the summer for £105m and his transition into his new side has been seamless. Rice has added an assuredness to Arsenal’s play in midfield and has even come up with some big moments – most notably the last-minute winner against Manchester United.
Arteta said: “We had big expectations for him and he’s doing really well.
“Especially in big games where I think he has been terrific. That’s what you need from your big players.
“Big compliments to him because he’s done it very early and in a really natural way as well.
“He’s got big qualities that make players around him better and the team better.
“He’s got this big presence and aura around him and when you play for a big club you need a player in midfield who is able to do that.”
Another of Arsenal’s summer signings, Kai Havertz, returns to his former club Chelsea on Saturday when after switching the west of London for the north in a summer deal worth around £65m.
Havertz has featured more from the bench of late but Arteta highlighted the importance of his introduction off the bench two weeks ago in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Manchester City as an example of the impact he has made on his new team.
“The last touch of the game that he had and the contribution he had against City was terrific,” Arteta said.
“It was difficult to make the decision not to play him but we knew that the last 25-30 minutes against City were going to be critical and the impact that the subs had affected the result and I’m really happy with the way he reacted and contributed to the team.
“I can see that his confidence is shifting, and he is in a much better place, so he needs to continue to do that and he needs to play.”
