Mikel Arteta insisted on Declan Rice wearing an embarrassing sticker on his first day at Arsenal following his transfer from West Ham.
Arsenal paid the Hammers £105million to land Rice in July, with the England midfielder Arteta’s number one priority for the summer transfer window. He has settled in well at his new side, scoring a crucial first goal for the club in the stunning 3-1 win over Manchester United recently.
Rice now looks completely at ease amongst his new team-mates, but things were very different initially. Speaking to ex-midfielder Jimmy Bullard and former Soccer AM presenter Tubes on the Tubes and Ange Golf Life YouTube channel, Rice revealed the unusual way Arteta chose to integrate him on his first day.
Asked if he was nervous meeting his new team-mates, Rice said: “You play against these guys twice a season and if you get them in the cup, three times. You shake their hands after. And you’re playing international level so the lads know who you are anyway. But there’s always that first feeling.
“I was a bit nervous. The first day I was down there on the Sunday. The lads weren’t in but I come out of the physio room and Arteta, just like little things he does, he put a sticker on me saying ‘hello, I’m the new person’. He just walked in and put it on my chest.
All the [under] 18s and [under] 21s were in the canteen… you know Will off The Inbetweeners? ‘I’m the new boy’. And I’m walking through trying to hide my chest. Just little things like that.“And then when I saw the lads, everyone is sat at breakfast and you train and that you feel properly settled.”
Rice got his blockbuster transfer early in the window, allowing him time with his new team during pre-season. Speaking on the golf course, he explained his emotions over leaving West Ham for the Gunners.
“It’s been a whirlwind, honestly, it’s been crazy,” he said. “An up and down summer. Obviously the move went through, I’ve only been there two months, but I’ve really enjoyed my time there so far. I’m learning and improving a lot, which is a really good thing for me.”
Rice will play in the Champions League for the first time later this month – one of the reasons he chose to leave West Ham – but he still found the move difficult. The 24-year-old spent 10 years with the club and was sad to leave in many senses.
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"I really can't explain the feelings, people leave clubs and lose affiliations with that club,” he told Channel 4 recently. “I still speak to the boys regularly, I texted the manager at the start of the season saying, 'Good luck boss'.
"He texted me back. We've got a good relationship. People at the club, we're still constantly talking and I never want it to not be like that."
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