Arsenal: Declan Rice can be a 'lighthouse' for Gunners, says Mikel Arteta

Declan Rice trained with his caller team-mates successful Washington connected Monday

Arsenal brag Mikel Arteta says £100m signing Declan Rice tin beryllium a "lighthouse" for the Gunners and the midfielder is "exactly what we needed".

He is their 3rd signing aft guardant Kai Havertz joined from Chelsea successful a £65m woody and defender Jurrien Timber from Ajax for £34m.

Arsenal were 2nd past play down Manchester City, contempt starring for astir of the Premier League campaign.

"I spot him similar a lighthouse," Arteta said of England planetary Rice. "He is consenting to enactment the airy successful others, amended others and marque the squad better.

"We discussed a portion agone however helium could germinate the squad and compliment the players and instrumentality that winning hunger into a squad with players who truly privation to propulsion themselves to a antithetic level.

"He has an aura. The acquisition helium has successful this league is going to bring the squad to a antithetic dimension. He has the carnal qualities we were missing for a while.

"The mode helium talks and presents himself. The ambition helium has and his passionateness for the crippled is precisely what we needed."

Rice was restricted to motorcycle enactment successful the archetypal portion of grooming successful Washington earlier Arsenal's opening pre-season crippled against Wayne Rooney's MLS All-Stars connected Wednesday.

It meant helium got a first-hand presumption of a squad that, aft exceeding each expectations to situation for the Premier League for 3 quarters of past season, yet had to settee for 2nd place.

They person surely kicked connected since. Their £200m-plus summertime transportation walk is the highest successful the Premier League.

It is not conscionable the signings Arsenal person made - the velocity with which they person made them has besides impressed.

Arteta present has a afloat period to enactment with them earlier the opening Premier League crippled against Nottingham Forest connected 12 August.

Now, the unit is on. Even legendary erstwhile Arsenal brag Arsene Wenger recognises it, tipping the Gunners to triumph the league, portion Arteta surely feels it.

"For sure," helium said. "After what we did past year, a batch of radical are going to speech astir what is next.

"In the end, it volition beryllium astir playing amended and earning the close to triumph each match.

"We made immoderate important signings, similar different teams are doing, but erstwhile you are Arsenal, you person to grip that."