Declan Rice hands Arsenal major boost before Tottenham with honest Premier League admission

Declan Rice has given Arsenal fans reason for optimism despite a week of controversy for the midfielder. Having been the topic of much conversation following his controversial red card against Brighton before the international break, Rice let his football do the talking for England.

Entering the clash for Lee Carsley’s first match in charge against Republic of Ireland – who Rice represented as a junior and three times at senior level before switching allegiances in 2019 – the Arsenal man was once more in the spotlight. He, and Manchester City attacker Jack Grealish, were the subject of ridicule from Irish fans heading into the game.

It follows an intense period for Rice, who is a senior figure for both club and country, making 66 appearances since September 2023. He has seen things continue to go swimmingly well on the field, picking up two wins and a draw under Mikel Arteta in the opening three games of the season.

For the former West Ham star there is still plenty more to come. “Obviously I came back to Arsenal late,” he said after scoring the opening goal in Dublin on Saturday. “To be honest, I’ve not been feeling 100 per cent fit so far. Kind of been doing my pre-season in the Premier League.

“Today I feel like I took a real step. I was feeling back to myself, feeling springy, feeling like I can run around the pitch, feeling more powerful.

“I feel like I took another step, which is obviously going to help me at Arsenal. I felt really good, and I knew I needed a big performance, because so far this season obviously I got sent off last game and the first two games I was a little bit rusty.”

Rice will now be hoping to keep up his return to fitness and match sharpness with tough tests to come. He will not be available for the upcoming North London Derby after being given a second yellow card at the Emirates Stadium against Brighton, though.

Arteta will be forced to work without his keystone midfielder following Chris Kavanagh’s decision to punish Rice for kicking the ball away when Joel Veltman was attempting to take a quick free-kick. Rice also stopped the defender from restarting play, but the call from Kavanagh to dish out a second yellow has raised serious debate.

Arsenal won’t be able to call on Rice against Tottenham and cannot appeal the decision. He will have the chance to build his minutes once more, though, with Finland visiting in the Nations League on Tuesday.