24-year-old Arsenal player says he already knows Declan Rice really well

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Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah has admitted he already knows new teammate Declan Rice really well.

Nketiah was speaking on Arsenal’s pre-season tour, via Football London, about the club’s newest recruit.

After months of speculation, Mikel Arteta finally got his top target last week.

Declan Rice smashed Arsenal’s transfer record, but there are high hopes for the England international.

He’s already proven for club and country he can play at the very highest level.

Rice is also familiar with plenty of the Arsenal squad already, including Eddie Nketiah.

The likes of Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale know him from international duty, but Rice and Nketiah go way back.

They were both in Chelsea’s academy at a young age before going their separate ways.

Mauricio Pochettino might be wondering why the club let either of them go, especially Rice as he searches for a new central midfielder.

Nketiah already knows new Arsenal man Rice very well

Asked about his relationship with the 24-year-old, Nketiah said: “Yeah of course, we’ve obviously played together from nine to 14, so we had that really solid relationship and that kind of foundation.

“Obviously, I’m close with his family, he’s close with mine.

“It’s good to have him back obviously in the squad, obviously we’re really happy here to have him with us.

“It helps having that bit of a relationship with him so hopefully he can remember how I like the passes played.

“It’s good to have him and I’m sure he’s going to be a really good addition and really help us this season.”

Nketiah and Rice are likely to play very different roles for Arsenal next season.

Rice will go straight into Mikel Arteta’s starting line-up, likely in a holding midfield role but he could also play further up the pitch.

He’s already settling in well with the squad which will be a relief to Arteta.

Nketiah, on the other hand, is expected to make most of his appearances off the bench next season.

Gabriel Jesus is first choice and if Folarin Balogun doesn’t leave, then he could play an even smaller part in the upcoming campaign.

Having Nketiah at Arsenal will help Rice settle in even faster.

However, it’s unclear how often they’ll be on the pitch at the same time right now.