Declan Rice is impressed by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta's passion and professionalism

After guiding Arsenal to FA Cup glory in 2020 shortly after replacing Unai Emery, Arteta faced criticism for not immediately achieving significant progress in the Premier League, resulting in an eighth-place finish in his first full season.

The 2021/22 campaign began with a rocky start, with the team suffering three consecutive defeats and only climbing into the top half of the table in October. Arsenal's hopes of returning to the Champions League were dashed by six defeats in their last 12 games.

However, Arteta, mentored by the renowned Pep Guardiola, had a grander vision for the club, working alongside sporting director Edu to lay the foundation for a brighter future, which came to fruition in the 2022/23 season.

Arsenal surprised many with a title challenge, only narrowly missing out at the end as Manchester City, who ultimately completed the Treble, applied pressure.

As a British record signing for £105million, Declan Rice was aware of some of the developments behind the scenes at Arsenal through fellow players on the England squad.

Still, the actual experience of encountering Arteta's leadership surpassed his expectations upon joining the club.

"Speaking to a few of the lads at England, just asking what the general setup is like, what the manager is like, the first thing they all said was how much they improved," Rice told the Telegraph.

"When you hear that without seeing it, you think 'that is interesting'. But when you get here and you see how he actually is, it is mindboggling.

"Genuinely, in the last 10 days I have been blown away by how he is constantly thinking about football, how he is so oriented to win. How everyone is all in the same direction to win, to be together."