Arsenal fans spot what Declan Rice did before Gunners' Premier League debut

12 August 2023 , 12:47

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Arsenal fans spot what Declan Rice did before Gunners' Premier League debut

Declan Rice was spotted singing along to Arsenal 's pre-match anthem ahead of his Premier League debut for the club.

Gunners fans were delighted to see that their new £105million signing enjoyed hearing Louis Dunford's 'The Angel', which is played ahead of matches at the Emirates Stadium. The clash at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, which was delayed by 30 minutes due to issues at the turnstiles, marked Rice's first Premier League appearance since leaving his beloved West Ham in a record-breaking transfer deal last month.

Dunford's tune contains the lyrics 'North London Forever' and was adopted by Arsenal during the 2021-22 season in a bid to boost the atmosphere at a stadium previously criticised for its lack thereof. It proved to be a rousing tune before kick-off against Forest and during the team huddle, supporters saw Rice mouthing the lyrics in a show of how acclimatised he already feels at his new club.

Fans on social media were buzzing, gleefully posting clips of the 24-year-old. One wrote: "Declan Rice singing along to North London Forever under his breath in the team huddle. HE GETS IT ALREADY, THE ARSENAL."

Another delighted supporter tweeted: "Rice's PR team is absolutely elite. Mouthing along to North London Forever on the first day, give them all a raise. Lovely stuff." With three laughing emojis, a third joked: Declan Rice already singing along to North London Forever. They must be fuming in the east."

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Have your say! Will Declan Rice help Arsenal win the Premier League title? Give us your prediction in the comments section.

Declan Rice was seen singing along to Arsenal's pre-match anthem (TNT Sports)

Although it's a nice touch, what will truly endear Rice to the Emirates faithful are his performances on the pitch. His early interventions got the crowd cheering inside the first 15 minutes, just as they were when Eddie Nketiah made it 1-0 after 25 minutes and Bukayo Saka doubled their lead shortly after with a stunning strike.

Working under new boss Mikel Arteta for the past four weeks, Rice already feels that he's improving. "I'm honestly seeing the game in a completely different way already; tactically, on the ball, off the ball," the former West Ham captain told TNT Sports.

"I'm happy to know I'm learning so much because I'm trying to push myself to learn. Since the Community Shield, I feel I've taken a big step; everything is starting to click.

"I was blown away [by Arteta] and working with him day-to-day, it's just another level. Seeing how he works, how his mind operates, picking up stuff, seeing how he goes into detail on the opposition, and how he wants to improve us as players, individually and collectively, is really impressive."

Nathan Ridley