Following numerous periods of speculation about his future, the England international completed a £105 million ($131 million) move from West Ham to Emirates Stadium this summer. He has rapidly acclimated into his new surroundings, with the Gunners allowing him to move away from his traditional holding midfield role.

Rice is being helped by many familiar faces as he adjusts to his new circumstances, but the 24-year-old is not being treated differently. He may be Arsenal’s record signing, with a lucrative contract in place, but he was treated the same as any other new recruit when he walked through the doors in north London. 

Rice has told the Tubes and Ange Gold Life channel on YouTube of his early experience at Arsenal: “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 like a sticker on me saying ‘hello, I’m the new person’. He just walked in and put it on my chest. All the 18s and 21s in the canteen and I’m walking through trying to hide my chest. Just little things like that.”

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Rice has played every minute of Arsenal’s four Premier League games in 2023-24, contributing 10 points, and will want to make his Champions League debut against PSV on September 20.