Declan Rice’s official signing announcement with Arsenal has triggered a wave of adulation on social media, with fans dubbing him a “mentality monster.”
Today, on Saturday, 15 July, Rice solidified his position as Arsenal’s third signing of the summer, completing a remarkable £105 million transfer from West Ham.
In a video shared on Arsenal’s Twitter account, the 24-year-old was introduced to his new teammates and given the opportunity to address them by saying a few words.
In the clip, the midfielder replied: “Obviously, first day, I’m really looking forward to playing with you all to sharing many good moments together.
The Gooners’ Twitter account, followed by a staggering 21.7 million fans, has shared another quote from Declan Rice, furthering the conversation about trophies.
The quote, which has sparked debate among fans in the comments section, states: “My ambitions now are to win with Arsenal again.
It’s time to go one step bigger and win the Premier League, win the Champions League, and I wouldn’t be here if I did not believe that.” Some fans have been contemplating whether Rice could potentially become the team’s “future captain,” while others have questioned if he is being “delusional.”
One Twitter user expressed the sentiment, “These are the mentality we need, not those ‘we just want to be in the top 4’ mentality of some recent years.”
💬 “My ambitions now are to win with Arsenal again. It’s time to go one step bigger and win the Premier League, win the Champions League, and I wouldn’t be here if I did not believe that.” pic.twitter.com/BBXsQOAoqE
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 15, 2023
Another agreed and wrote: “We believed it before you came bro, thanks for believing in the Arsenal!”
A third called out those who are doubting The Gunners ahead of next season and said: “5 points away from the title but spending 100m to win the title is unrealistic. Some of you are really daft.”
Elsewhere, another user said: “He is a leader. He is a winner. He is going to massively increase and improve the dressing room atmosphere!”
However, not everyone has had a positive reaction to Rice’s bold statement.
One fan wrote: “WHATTTT??? Win the Champions League???”, followed by a string of laughing emojis. “Blud (sic) thinks he’s in Chelsea or Manchester,” they continued.
A second Twitter user said: “April fools day came early I see.”
Another simply retweeted the sentiment and wrote: “The delusion.”
Furthermore, many Arsenal fans have already started championing Rice and are urging the North London team to, “Give him the armband now!”
“Love (sic) you Martin Odegaard. You have done nothing wrong !!! Honestly! But this is soon our new Captain,” said one user.
Another Gooner tweeted: “Future captain Declan Rice is and I can just see him in the dressing every game vocal and leading the team on to win many games this season.”