- Midfielder snapped up from West Ham
- The most expensive deal Gunners have ever done
- England ace picked up a knock in training
WHAT HAPPENED? The Gunners have invested heavily in the England international midfielder, making him their £105 million ($136m) record signing. Rice has been eased into life at a new club during pre-season, with important minutes taken in during a series of pre-season games in America. He was, however, a notable absentee for Arsenal as they lined up against Barca at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
WHAT THEY SAID: Revealing why Rice played no part in that contest, along with Ukrainian full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko, Arteta told reporters: “Dec had quite a strong kick in training and didn’t want to take the risk, he wasn’t comfortable to train yesterday and today, and we decided not to play him. With Alex, he had a muscular injury again, unfortunately. He’s getting back - I think he’ll be back soon, but it’s a shame that he hasn’t been with us the whole tour.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Arsenal will be hoping that Rice’s knock is nothing serious, as they count down the days to the 2023-24 campaign. The 24-year-old holding midfielder has been acquired to add more steel to the Gunners’ engine room, as they ready themselves for a return to Champions League competition following a six-year absence.
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WHAT NEXT? Arsenal are now heading home from their pre-season tour of the United States, with an Emirates Cup clash with Monaco on August 2 set to be followed by a Community Shield date with Manchester City and a Premier League opener at home to Nottingham Forest.