Declan Rice has now revealed what Mikel Arteta told his Arsenal players immediately after they were beaten to the Premier League title by Manchester City.
Arsenal were able to take the Premier League title race down to the wire this season. However, despite beating Everton at the Emirates Stadium on the final day of the campaign, it wasn’t enough to see Mikel Arteta’s side crowned champions.
As Manchester City were able to overcome West Ham United, they were able to retain the title for a fourth successive season.
Arsenal made history this season, as they recorded more Premier League wins in a single campaign than they had ever managed before. However, there is still clearly ground to make up on Manchester City.
Arteta promised Arsenal fans that silverware is on the way in the aftermath of missing out on the title. He also delivered a similar message of encouragement to his players.
Declan Rice shares what Mikel Arteta told Arsenal players after Everton match
Speaking to ITV, Declan Rice has now revealed what the Spanish coach told his squad.
The midfielder reflected on his first season in North London, saying it was: “Incredible. Absolutely incredible. It went so, so well. Obviously, we didn’t win a trophy which is what we wanted, but the process is there. I think you see the steps we made this season were absolutely massive.”
Like Arteta, the 25-year-old is adamant that the best is still yet to come: “Obviously, in football, you don’t win anything for having a process, but you can feel it at Arsenal, we are really close.”
Rice then shared Arteta’s post-match message: “We’ll be back. We’ll go again. The manager said straight after the game [against Everton], the focus is already on next season.”
How Mikel Arteta can take Arsenal beyond Manchester City
Arteta and sporting director Edu will now be plotting a means of taking the Arsenal squad to the next level over the course of the upcoming summer transfer window. Arsenal are looking to clear room in their squad by offloading players, before bringing in players of the quality who can can help them to overtake Manchester City.
Rice will also be keen to kick on again next season. He has shown now that he can have an impact at both ends of the pitch, and is now entering what ought to be the prime years of his career.
Arsenal now need to sign a midfielder who can complement Rice, allowing Arteta to continue making the most of the England star’s versatility.
The Gunners are certainly close to achieving silverware and overcoming Manchester City. However, Arsenal cannot take another title challenge for granted next season, and have to expect their competitors and rivals to improve over the course of the summer as well.