At the World Cup, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice looked spent.
2025/26 was an arduous campaign for the 27-year-old. No outfield player in the Gunners squad played more minutes than him last term.
So, to see him managing neural pain in his back and hamstrings over the summer was a worry. At the end of the DR Congo game he was seen icing his heavily strapped legs on the bench.
As a result, giving the former West Ham man a breather was going to be key. Rice has had three weeks off and has been buoyed by the signing of Bruno Guimaraes. It is unlikely he will play quite as many minutes this time around.
What the new season has in store for Declan Rice
Is Rice the best midfielder in the world? Well, he’s certainy up there. Only a few players on the planet can say they better the Premier League winner.
His performance levels since signing for the Gunners have been second to none and 2025/26 was his best year yet, not just lifting the title at the end of the campaign, but reaching a Champions League final too.
Rice has established himself as one of the best set-piece takers in the land. He helped himself to nine assists last term, just one shy of the tally he registered in 2024/25.
Now an experienced player at the age of 27, much is expected from the midfielder again this season but he needs more help.
He was forced to play simply too much football as they won a first league crown in 22 years. His midfield colleague Martin Zubimendi was also ran into the ground.
|
Most minutes played at Arsenal – 2025/26 |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Mins played |
|
1) David Raya |
4,620 |
|
2) Declan Rice |
4,456 |
|
3) Martin Zubimendi |
4,300 |
|
4) William Saliba |
4,254 |
|
5) Gabriel |
4,210 |
|
6) Viktor Gyokeres |
3,482 |
|
7) Jurrien Timber |
3,363 |
|
8) Bukayo Saka |
3,256 |
Both players looked ever so tired come the end of the season and they cannot afford another campaign like that again. They need to spread the playing time.
Mikel Merino’s return to full fitness will certainly help in that regard, as will the signing of Guimaraes more than anything.
Arsenal may not have got their hands on all of their number one targets this summer but they have been ruthless, signing Newcastle’s captain and luring Aston Villa’s vice captain Ezri Konsa to the Emirates.
Both are vital signings but Guimaraes, in particular, will no doubt help Zubimendi and Rice sustain their impressive performance levels into next May.
So, on paper, this could well be the latters best season in Arsenal red and white yet.
How Arsenal can seal their best signing since Declan Rice
Just days after the north Londoners were confirmed as Premier League champions, Josh Kroenke suggested that one of the big moments and a turning point in the project was the arrival of Rice.
He remains the club’s most-expensive transfer of all time at a mighty £105m. It is safe to say he has made a mockery of that price tag. Has a £100m plus acquisition ever achieved that? Arguably not.
Rice has been one of the most impressive players in English football in recent years. He has been a transformative signing for the club and will no doubt go down as an Arsenal icon once all is said and done.
Arsenal have still been impressive in the market since his arrival but no one has trumped him just yet. Could that change in the final week of the transfer window? Well, Andrea Berta and Co are trying as hard as possible to bring another attacker to the Emirates.
Vinicius Junior and Morgan Rogers decided their futures lay elsewhere but for Julian Alvarez, will things be different? The Argentine’s saga at Atletico Madrid this summer has been a complex one.
He wants to join Barcelona and as he returned to the matchday squad on Sunday afternoon, he was jeered by supporters inside the Metropolitano. This situation is surely only ending one way; with his departure.
Arsenal are at the table and according to reports out in Spain, have already actually agreed a deal with Atleti to sign the player. However, for now, Alvarez is turning down every club apart from Barca. The forward told Arsenal officials exactly that during a direct call at the end of last week.
It feels like this move will go right to the wire and if the Gunners can convince the former Manchester City man to join, it could well be their best move since Rice in 2023.
Three years on, the big mission for Berta and the Kroenkes has been to improve the attack. It has been to welcome a genuine world-class player to their ranks. They failed to convince Vinicius Junior that the move was right but will things be different with Alvarez? He simply ticks so many boxes and would be the perfect signing for Arsenal in the remaining days of the window.
Sure, Kai Havertz has scored two goals in two games to start the season but he is not the ruthless centre-forward you want leading the line when your plan is to win the Champions League and build a dynasty. Likewise, the marmite character of Viktor Gyokeres is not the man to lead the line despite his 21 goals last term.
Alvarez, on the other hand, is. Argentine journalist Roy Nemer hailed him as “the best forward in the world” back in March 2025 during a 29-goal season and while his stock may have fallen since then, he is truly one of the game’s best.
Like Havertz, he is capable of linking the play, ranking among the top 6% of strikers in Europe’s top five leagues last season for big chances created from open play. Like Gyokeres, he knows where the back of the net is too.
He is the perfect blend of both centre-forwards and that is what makes him such a dream option for Mikel Arteta. He is versatile, he’s got such a wide range of qualities that means he could fit into most systems in the world.
For an Arsenal team that love quick combination play on the edge of the box, the Argentine is just the perfect man for the job. Much like Rice was transformative for Arteta’s midfield, Alvarez could be game-changing for the attack. He feels like the missing piece of the puzzle.
