Declan Rice has already endeared himself to Arsenal fans after he was seen singing along to the Gunners' anthem ahead of a 2-1 win at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
The England midfielder went straight into the starting XI following his £105 million summer switch from West Ham and impressed for Mikel Arteta's side at the Emirates Stadium.
Rice featured alongside Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz in a three-man midfield as Arsenal dominated the first half and went in 2-0 up at the break through Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka.
But the 24-year-old, who had spent his entire career at West Ham and helped the Hammers win the Europa Conference League last season, looked at home even before kick-off as he sang along to North London Forever.
Nottingham Forest threatened a late comeback as Taiwo Awoniyi netted with eight minutes left, but last season's runners-up held on for a 2-1 win in their first Premier League match of the season.
Just Declan Rice singing North London Forever before kick-off 🎶 pic.twitter.com/lrUOR7QQbLAugust 12, 2023
With Rice in midfield, Thomas Partey was used as a right-back by manager Mikel Arteta on Saturday. Jorginho spent the 90 minutes on the bench.
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Arsenal are expected to tie up a deal to bring Brentford goalkeeper David Raya to north London in the next few days.
Meanwhile, two wingers are expected to leave the Gunners this month.
That could pave the way for another winger to join the club, with Barcelona's Ansu Fati sensationally linked with a move to north London this week.
