Declan Rice is preparing for another demanding season with Arsenal, aiming to maintain his high level of involvement as the club competes on multiple fronts. The 27-year-old midfielder played 69 matches across all competitions last season, contributing to Arsenal’s Premier League title win and their runs to the finals of both the Carabao Cup and Champions League, as well as helping England reach the semifinals of the World Cup this summer.
Despite concerns about the sustainability of such an intense workload following a hamstring issue, Rice expressed confidence in his fitness and consistency. He noted that he has regularly exceeded 60 games per season over the past six years, including during his time as West Ham’s captain. “It’s just about maintaining the level and the consistency of the performances,” Rice said. “I’m hungry to be able to do that again this season.”
Arsenal have further bolstered their midfield depth ahead of the campaign, investing £75 million in Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes while allowing Christian Norgaard to depart. Guimaraes’s arrival adds competition in the middle of the park alongside Rice, as well as existing options such as Myles Lewis-Skelly, Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze, and Martin Odegaard, a group widely regarded as one of the strongest midfield rosters in Europe.
Rice views the strengthened squad not as a source of rivalry but as a collective focused on success. “We have six incredible midfield options, and at whatever point, whoever the manager selects to play, I’m always going to be supporting the boys,” he said. “Now I have that feeling of winning from last season. That’s all I want to do again this year. With this midfield and whoever is selected, we’ve got to be supportive of each other.”
Rice featured in Arsenal’s opening Champions League match of the season, a 1-0 victory over Napoli, where the team showed dominance but lacked efficiency in front of goal until Martin Odegaard’s decisive strike. Reflecting on last season’s final loss to Paris Saint-Germain, Rice acknowledged the motivation it provides for the campaign ahead. “Losing that Champions League final really hurt. Seeing that trophy and seeing PSG lift it, that stays with you,” he said.
He believes the squad’s recent additions have positioned Arsenal well for a renewed push in Europe. “With the additions and the way we’ve gone about the Champions League the last few years, we have the abilities and the capabilities to do it,” Rice added, underlining the team’s ambitions for continued success across all competitions this season.