Rice targeting Premier League & Champions League success

Declan Rice is targeting Premier League and Champions League success with Arsenal this season, insisting the Gunners aren’t just there to participate.

Joining Arsenal this summer for a fee of £100m plus £5m in add-ons, Declan Rice is setting big targets with his new club.

Speaking to the media this week, Rice suggested Arsenal need to aim to win the biggest competitions, and it can’t be enough to just take part in the Champions League.

“It’s time now,” Rice said. “Arsenal under Mikel have won Community Shields, FA Cups, but I think now at this club, it’s a massive club, it’s constant pressure of delivering titles and it’s been such a long time now since Arsenal won a Premier League.

“Last year was so close, I feel like we’re better off now this year learning from that experience. So, I think that’s definitely a target.

“And of course, you’re in the Champions League and you go in the Champions League to win it. You don’t go in just to take part.

“I think once all of that clicks, once we get those first couple of games under our belt and things start to flow, I really believe in this squad.”

Arsenal finished five points off the top of the league in 2022/23, with Manchester City eventually winning the title, and it’s hard to predict how things will go in the new campaign.

City should be there at the top again, Manchester United will want to close the gap after showing improvement throughout last season, and the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea will be looking to bounce back after underwhelming campaigns.

Then there’s Newcastle United, the surprise entrants in last season’s top four who are spending big to try and stay there.

As for Arsenal, the Gunners have invested heavily in the summer market to try and push on this season, but they’ve also lost an influential starter in Granit Xhaka.

It might take some time for the new signings to gel, but you’d think Mikel Arteta’s squad have a good basis to grind out results in the meantime.

Perhaps the players’ mentality towards the season could be an important factor as well. Are they going to rest on their laurels having got back into the Champions League or push to better the 2022/23 campaign?