Declan Rice could now be set for a reunion with his former club when Arsenal travel to West Ham United for an intriguing Carabao Cup date.
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One of the biggest signings in the summer transfer window was Declan Rice’s transfer from West Ham United to Arsenal. The English international has been one of the most sought-after players for a while now, with plenty of teams being linked with him. After an intense competition, the Gunners paid big money to get his move completed from the London Stadium to the Emirates. The player also took no time to settle into his new environment.
Declan Rice could now be set for a reunion with his former club when Arsenal travel to West Ham United for an intriguing Carabao Cup date. As expected, a lot of pre-match conversation revolved around Rice’s potential return to the London Stadium. When asked if Rice will be featured against West Ham, manager Mikel Arteta said, “He’s likely. He’s fit and can be involved. It will be his first time back at his old club and a beautiful moment I think for him.”
Speaking about going back to the former club, Arteta said, “I think it’s beautiful. I had the experience to do it a few times and then you really see what they think of you and what you left at the club. It’s a really good way to measure your experience and your reality within the reality of the people who share moments with you.” Asked if Rice would get a good reception there, the manager replied, “I would say so. I hopes so. Especially, every time you hear him talk about West Ham and what they did for him and everybody at the club, he cannot talk any higher, so hopefully they will be the same way towards him.”
Arteta then provided a squad update on a couple of the club’s absentees. Asked whether there is a timeframe for Jesus’ return, he said, “With him, I’m honestly not going to put any because I did it once and got it totally wrong. We need to be cautious because we need to treat it in the right way. He’s already pushing everybody and wants to be back as quickly as possible, and we need him, so that’s great.” On Thomas Partey’s injury, the manager said, “I think he will be out for weeks – I don’t know how long but he’s got another appointment today and we will see more after that.”
Arteta then went on to speak about the importance of the Carabao Cup. The manager was asked if he thinks winning this trophy could aid them in getting their hands on bigger trophies in the future. He replied: “I do. Even if you are doing rotation, the role of the players that are committed to challenging for this trophy or this game, I think it’s critical for them to show what they can do when they are really important and given the chance. When they are in or out, how are you going to approach the game and are you going to win the game for the team?”
He added: “I think if you want to grow as a team and you don’t have that mindset, it is very difficult so the mindset of every three days and being able to do it in different ways and different contexts when you have a big game next week, or we just played in the Champions League or another big game here, it’s: ‘OK, what is the behaviour of the team and how they respond to that.’ I think it’s very important.”
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