‘Really good friendship’: Declan Rice says he’s already so close with £27m Arsenal player

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Declan Rice has really taken to life at Arsenal with ease.

The England international arrived at the Emirates this summer in a club-record deal, and he joined already having a few friends at the club.

Indeed, Rice already knew the likes of Aaron Ramsdale and Bukayo Saka from England duty, while he was really close with Eddie Nketiah as a youngster in the Chelsea academy.

Now, speaking to Arsenal’s official club website, Rice has shared that he’s actually become close friends with another Arsenal player since signing, stating that he’s struck up a close bond with Gabriel Magalhaes recently despite having fairly different personalities.

Rice and Gabriel are close

The midfielder spoke about his friendship with the £27m man.

“They’ve taught me so much. Take me and Gabriel for example. We’re both completely different personalities from completely different backgrounds and we play football in a different way too, but we learn so much from each other and we’ve formed a really good friendship.

“It’s what I love about the Premier League and Arsenal – it’s such a multicultural environment, and everyone understands that and respects it. There’s not one player here who doesn’t get along with everyone else. That’s what makes this group so special.”

Great to hear

It’s great to hear that Rice is settling with such ease at Arsenal and making friends beyond his initial social group.

Landing at a new club can be incredibly daunting, and we would completely understand if Rice was a bit overawed by everything and stuck with the players he already knew.

However, by the sounds of it, Rice is socialising really well and gelling with all of his teammates, and that has likely contributed to his good performances on the pitch as well.

Rice certainly made the right decision when deciding to sign for Arsenal this summer.