Arsenal’s season has been rocked by a serious knee injury to summer signing Jurrien Timber which will require surgery.

The Netherlands international moved to the Emirates Stadium from Ajax this summer but was forced off on his Premier League debut – Saturday’s 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest.

Timber, 22, limped off at half-time against Forest following a heavy challenge on Brennan Johnson that earned the full-back a booking.

He emerged for the second half but lasted just five minutes before going down off the ball and being replaced by Takehiro Tomiyasu.

An Arsenal statement on Wednesday read: “Further to detailed assessments with consultant specialists since Saturday, we can confirm that Jurrien has sustained an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

“Jurrien will undergo surgery in the coming days and will be out of action for a period of time.

“The support and expertise from our medical team and everyone at the club will now be focussed on Jurrien’s rehabilitation programme, to ensure he recovers well and is back playing as soon as possible.”

Timber was a £38.5million signing for the Gunners and played in the Community Shield penalty shoot-out win over Manchester City before suffering the setback against Forest.

Despite losing Timber, Arsenal are still expected to allow Nuno Tavares to leave the club in the coming days, with Forest a potential destination for the former Portugal Under-21s full-back.

While signed primarily to play at right-back, Timber had started life at Arsenal on the left side of defence, filling in as Oleksandr Zinchenko recovered from a calf problem.

Arsenal have completed the signing of goalkeeper David Raya from Brentford on a season-long loan, with an option for a permanent transfer.

The 27-year-old played in all 38 of the Bees’ Premier League games last season keeping 11 clean sheets and conceding 46 goals.

He will compete with England international Aaron Ramsdale for the number one position as Mikel Arteta’s team look to build on last season’s title challenge, whilst also playing in the Champions League for the first time 2017.

Gunners’ sporting director Edu said: “We welcome David to us on a season-long loan from Brentford. David is a top-quality goalkeeper, who has consistently performed to a high level with Brentford in the Premier League.

“With David joining us we are adding quality and depth to our squad so we can perform at the highest possible level in all competitions.”

He has also signed a new two-year deal with Brentford with an option for a third, something the club has described as a “fall-back option” should his Arsenal move not be made permanent.

Director of football Phil Giles said: “I’m not expecting to see David back at Brentford, although if ever that happened then of course the opportunity to work with such a high-class goalkeeper for up to two more years would in many ways be an unexpected bonus for us.

“All parties (want) to make this a permanent transfer as soon as practically possible.”

Raya, who joined Brentford from Blackburn whilst they were playing in the Championship in 2019, leaves having appeared 161 times for the club.

He made his debut for Spain during a 2-1 friendly win against Albania in March 2022 and was a part of Luis Enrique’s squad for last year’s World Cup.

Tottenham had reportedly been keen to sign him as a long-term replacement for Hugo Lloris but a deal to take him from the Gtech Stadium did not  materialise.

Arsenal sold back-up keeper Matt Turner to Nottingham Forest earlier this month, with the United States international making his debut for his new side during Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at the Emirates.

Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber will see a specialist to determine the extent of his knee injury, with reports suggesting he is set for an extended spell on the sidelines.

The Dutchman, signed from Ajax in a £38.5million summer transfer, limped off early in the second half of Saturday’s win over Nottingham Forest in the Gunners’ opening Premier League match.

According to reports, Timber has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury, which if confirmed would see the Netherlands defender facing a lengthy spell of rehabilitation and possibly being out until early 2024.

Arsenal confirmed on Monday evening that further assessments will be needed to determined a timeframe for Timber’s return to action.

“Further to his substitution during our match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Jurrien Timber has received extensive assessments and scans which have confirmed he has sustained an injury to his right knee,” a club statement read.

“Jurrien will undergo a further detailed assessment and review with a consultant in the coming days to assess the full extent of the injury, in order to determine the next steps. A further update will be provided in due course.

“Everyone at the club will be focused on supporting Jurrien at this time.”

William Saliba was delighted to make a successful return to Premier League action in Arsenal’s win over Nottingham Forest.

The France defender missed the closing weeks of last season with a back injury and his absence was felt as Arsenal slipped from the top of the table to finish five points behind champions Manchester City.

Up until his injury, the Gunners had been settled at the summit and Saliba had formed a formidable defensive partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes.

Saliba returned to the team for the 2-1 win over Forest, providing the assist for Bukayo Saka’s stunning strike after Eddie Nketiah’s deflected effort had broken the deadlock.

“I’m really, really happy,” he said of his competitive return.

“I’m not 100 per cent at the moment, but I give everything to come back, because it’s been a long time. I didn’t play as I was injured, and I’m so happy to be with the team. The team and the staff helped me to get better and get back to my best.

“It’s always better (to play at home). You don’t feel pressure, you don’t feel any pain, it’s good.”

Arsenal had looked in control against the visitors until substitute Taiwo Awoniyi pulled a goal back with eight minutes remaining to give the visitors hope of wrestling back an unlikely point.

Ultimately, the hosts hung on and Saliba was pleased to start the campaign with a victory.

“It was really good to start the season with a win,” he added.

“It’s never easy to win the first game in the league, and we have done a good game. Unfortunately, we conceded a goal in the last 10 minutes, but it’s okay, we learn and will improve for the next game.”

Forest are aiming to add to their squad before the transfer deadline, having handed debuts to Ola Aina, Anthony Elanga and Matt Turner. The latter was pleased to make his bow against Arsenal, whom he left for the City Ground earlier last week.

“Debut and Prem debut. A dream was finally realised yesterday,” he said on Instagram.

“Thank you to the Forest fans who made the trip! See you at the City Ground on Friday.

“Also just wanted to say thanks for the warm welcome back to the Emirates, it was truly a special day for me and my family.”

Mikel Arteta said the way Eddie Nketiah trained made him impossible to leave out against Nottingham Forest as the striker repaid the faith by opening the scoring on his recall.

The 24-year-old had not scored a competitive goal in over 10 hours before breaking the deadlock as the Gunners began their quest for the Premier League title with a narrow 2-1 win.

After a 30-minute delay to kick-off following an issue at the turnstiles, Nketiah struck just after the midway point of the first-half, his deflected strike coming on the back of a fine piece of skill from Gabriel Martinelli.

Bukayo Saka’s fine curling effort proved enough to secure the points, even though Forest rallied and pulled a late goal back through substitute Taiwo Awoniyi.

“I’m delighted for him because he is a role model,” Arteta said of Nketiah, who was back in the starting XI having missed out on a berth against Manchester City in the Community Shield win last week.

“He was a player who was so disappointed not to play the final in the absence of Gabi (Jesus).

“What he did was he came on the field in the final and changed the game. That’s number one. The second one was the way he was training this week was saying ‘gaffer, if you’re not playing me you are blind’.

“A lot of players come and say ‘oh why am I not playing’ and you have to try to explain, other players come and say ‘these are the reasons why I deserve to play’. This is exactly what Eddie does.

“This is exactly what he did and then he got on the pitch and he performs that way. He’s a clear and very good example to everybody.”

Defeat at Forest in May saw Arsenal’s title charge come to an end last season and, despite starting the new campaign with a win, Arteta conceded he was concerned by the fall in performance levels.

“For sure,” he replied when asked if he was worried by the drop-off.

“It’s going to be very difficult to dominate games for 100 minutes. But we allowed them to get some grip of the game because they didn’t create anything but on that action the game changes.

“Momentum shifts immediately after that goal. That’s not the moment to change it, you cannot change it, now you have to be so good at dealing with that situation, running the clock down and earning the points.

“The team has done that really well but we’re going to have to be more ruthless and more critical of ourselves to be more pushy and kill the game.”

Forest boss Steve Cooper was left ruing the defending for Arsenal’s goals after setting up the visitors to create the sort of chances that led to their late consolation.

“I was disappointed with elements of our game in the first half,” he said.

“Structurally we were good but I didn’t like us on the goals – we should have defended those much better.

“I didn’t love that we didn’t back ourselves in the duels. I showed some clips to the lads at half time – we needed to believe, back ourselves and compete.

“The real chance in the first half was Brennan Johnson’s from open play. The plan was going to plan with our counter-attacks but we needed to compete more. So it is a game of ‘what might have been’.”

Arsenal began their quest to wrestle the Premier League title away from Manchester City as Bukayo Saka’s fine strike earned them a narrow victory over Nottingham Forest.

After a half-hour delay to kick-off at the Emirates Stadium, Eddie Nketiah and Saka struck in the first-half but the hosts could not build on their lead and were pegged back by Taiwo Awoniyi as they hung on to win 2-1.

An issue with the turnstiles meant kick-off was put back by 30 minutes but it did not threaten to dampen the expectant atmosphere as Arsenal aim to go one better than their runners-up spot last season.

Defeat at Forest in May ended that title challenge but a repeat never looked likely here from the moment Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner – making his debut after joining from Arsenal earlier in the week – saw a clearance charged down by Nketiah as the ball flashed wide.

The visitors had already spurned a great opening, Brennan Johnson unable to hit the target after being slipped in behind.

A moment of magic from Gabriel Martinelli freed Nketiah inside the Forest box and his low shot found a way past Turner courtesy of a deflection off Joe Worrall as Arsenal hit the front just after the midway point of the first half.

Saka then took centre-stage, collecting a pass from William Saliba and curling home a fine effort to double the lead before half-time.

It was not all smiles for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, though, as summer signing Jurrien Timber limped off with what appeared to be a knee injury with just 50 minutes gone.

The Dutch defender had gone down in pain having committed a foul on the stroke of half-time but emerged for the second-half, only to be forced off soon after.

The second half looked like being played out largely with Arsenal controlling possession, Declan Rice forcing a low stop out of Turner with a deflected drive before the £105million man had another shot turned behind.

But, from the resulting corner from the second of Rice’s efforts, Forest broke at pace and substitute Anthony Elanga burst down the left before squaring for Awoniyi to finish.

Arsenal ultimately held on for the win, Gabriel Magalhaes replacing Martinelli to sure up the defence as Forest threw on the likes of Chris Wood in a late attempt to salvage a point.

Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign Brentford goalkeeper David Raya.

The PA news agency understands a fee of £30million has been agreed for the 27-year-old Spaniard, who is reported to be signing a five-year contract.

Raya will provide competition for established number one Aaron Ramsdale and the England international welcomes it.

“Bring it on. Nothing comes easy in football. At the same time you need to move along and adapt as well,” Ramsdale told ITV Sport.

“I’ve done it to other people when I’ve moved clubs so I’m not going to be thinking that it’s never going to happen to me.

“If it happens, it happens and then we’ll fight and we’ll make each other the best version of ourselves because that’s what the manager is telling us as well.

“And I’m sure whoever plays, me or whoever comes in, the goalkeeping union – people laugh at it but it’s a real thing – (means) your individual disappointment will go away.

“You will put the team first and you’ll put that goalkeeper first as well.”

Raya’s arrival will also signal the departure of United States goalkeeper Matt Turner to Nottingham Forest in a deal which could be worth up to £10m.

Mikel Arteta hailed “superb” Kai Havertz after his performance in Arsenal’s Community Shield penalty shoot-out win over Manchester City.

Having joined from London rivals Chelsea in the summer, Havertz was deployed as Arsenal’s central striker as a last-gasp Leandro Trossard equaliser took the game to penalties.

Cole Palmer had put City ahead before Trossard’s effort took a huge deflection off Manuel Akanji, the 1-1 draw meaning a shoot-out was required at Wembley – Arsenal going on to lift the Shield after a 4-1 success.

Havertz has primarily been recruited to play in an advanced midfield role for the Gunners but, with Gabriel Jesus injured, the Germany forward reverted to a central role.

He was a thorn in the side of the City defence for much of the afternoon and had two good chances to break the deadlock in the first-half, with Arteta enthused by Havertz’s display.

“He was superb,” the Arsenal boss said after the win.

“The way he pressed and how intelligent he is to try and understand certain spaces and the timing of it, he was great and got in great positions to score.

“He was unlucky not to score but he was very physical when he needed to be, so I was very pleased with him.”

Havertz was off the pitch by the time the shoot-out took place as all four Arsenal penalty takers were successful, while Kevin De Buyne hit the crossbar and Rodri’s poor effort was saved by Aaron Ramsdale.

“It feels great,” said Fabio Vieira, who scored the winning spot-kick.

“It’s my first trophy for this club, and I’m very happy to win this trophy. It’s time to rest and enjoy it.

“We are a team that will always believe it’s possible to score until the final (minute), and we believe altogether that we would score. Then in the penalties, we were better.

“It was a very good moment for me in front of our fans. We have a new season ahead, it will be very difficult and we need to be together with the fans and the players, and then we go for it.

“It’s amazing. It’s my first time playing at Wembley, it’s an amazing stadium and as I said I’m very happy, and the win is the most important thing. I’m here to help the team.

“We have a long season ahead, and I need to focus and help the team. That’s what I have to do.”

Mikel Arteta was the first victim and the first beneficiary of the new law changes after Arsenal won the Community Shield 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw against Manchester City.

Gunners boss Arteta was booked in the first half by referee Stuart Attwell for protesting a decision, part of the new clampdown on the touchline behaviour of managers.

But the fiery Spaniard was celebrating after the new law on timewasting and keeping the ball in play – meaning extended periods of stoppage time – allowed his side to equalise with 101 minutes on the clock.

“It is really good to do that,” he said. “It was going too far and now teams are going to have to think twice. We have to prepare to play 100 minutes. It is going to happen every single week.”

On his yellow card, Arteta added: “I cannot change my behaviour in three days and I can’t say tomorrow that we play with no offsides and what is the linesman doing? I try my best.”

Pep Guardiola felt the amount of stoppage time was excessive even before the initial eight minutes stretched to 13 after a clash of heads between Kyle Walker and Thomas Partey.

City’s treble-winning boss now also expects matches to regularly extend to 100 minutes and even longer.

“We have to get used to it,” he said. “I had the feeling, not because we were winning 1-0, but that not much happened to extend it for eight minutes.

“It’s a good question for the international board and people because they don’t consult with managers and players and we have to accept it with this amount of games.

“Now the games will be 100 minutes. Nothing happened today and there was eight minutes. They extend for goals. If the score is 4-3, you put 45 seconds on for seven goals, tomorrow morning I am (still) here playing.”

Young forward Cole Palmer, who was on as a substitute for the quiet Erling Haaland, appeared to have won it for City in normal time after a fine curling finish.

But Leandro Trossard’s shot deflected in – off Manuel Akanji – to earn Arsenal a 1-1 draw and take the game to a penalty shoot-out.

The Gunners scored all four of their spot-kicks, while Kevin De Bruyne fired against the crossbar and Rodri’s weak effort was saved by Aaron Ramsdale.

Fabio Vieira stepped up to hit the final penalty with Arsenal winning the shootout 4-1 to land the first piece of silverware of the campaign and go some way to lifting a mental block after last season’s disappointment at losing the title to City.

“It feels great. I don’t think it gets much better than winning a trophy at Wembley against the best team in the world, and especially the way we have done it,” added Arteta.

“It’s great if the players are convinced they can beat every team. I think we showed a real determination and fight to win the game.

“The reason why we are here to win trophies for this club and make it successful. I have seen so many happy and proud people.”

City lost last year’s Community Shield to Liverpool and although they did not do too badly over the rest of the season, Guardiola was still irritated by the defeat.

“(We’ve lost) three in a row,” he added. “We came here to win it. We were so close, but winning or losing, I know the position of the team.

“We would love to win today but sometimes you have to accept that.”

Roy Keane has told Arsenal they paid too much for England midfielder Declan Rice when they handed West Ham £105million for his services.

Keane, who worked with Rice as Martin O’Neill’s assistant when the player won his three senior caps for the Republic of Ireland, rates him highly, but is not convinced he is worth his price tag.

Asked about the midfielder’s prospects in north London ahead of the Gunners’ Community Shield clash with Manchester City on Sunday in which he made his competitive debut, Keane told ITV1: “He is obviously going to be surrounded by better players, different demands.

“If he is going to play a little higher up the pitch, I think he definitely has that quality in terms of adding more goals. He’s obviously got that physical strength, he can get in the box.

“They have obviously paid way too much for him. He’s certainly not worth over £100 million, Declan Rice, but a really good player.

“We’ll find out over the next year or two how good Declan is. He turns up every week, he is a big strong boy – again, you talk about that physicality, they lacked that in the last month or two (of last season).

“Has he got that really top quality in terms of seeing a pass and getting nine, 10 goals? We’ll soon find out.”

Rice’s move to the Emirates Stadium last month after he had helped the Hammers win the Europa Conference League set a new British transfer record.

The London-born player, whose paternal grandparents are from Cork, has been capped 43 times by England, but made his senior international debut for Ireland, playing in friendlies against Turkey, France and the United States in 2018 before switching allegiance.

Treble winners Manchester City meet Arsenal in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday.

The Gunners topped the Premier League for most of last season before being usurped by Pep Guardiola’s men en route to their fifth title in six years.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the talking points ahead of the clash.

City to pick up where they left off?

City finished last season in unstoppable form as they powered to the treble, winning 11 successive games after February’s 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest to pip Arsenal in the Premier League title race.

They also saw off Manchester United 2-1 in the FA Cup final and beat Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Inter Milan to claim Champions League glory.

Sunday brings a chance to see how Guardiola’s side appear to be shaping up as they prepare to hunt down further silverware, with Erling Haaland no doubt eager to open his account for 2023-24 after his astonishing 52-goal haul last season.

The Rice is right for Gunners

Arsenal reacted to their most sustained title challenge in years by getting their transfer business done early in the summer.

Kai Havertz joined from Chelsea and Jurrien Timber came in from Ajax but it was the club-record signing of West Ham captain Declan Rice for £105million that caught the eye – not least because City were also interested in landing the 24-year-old.

Rice will be seen as pivotal in taking Mikel Arteta’s side from nearly-men to trophy winners and what better way to prove your credentials than starring against the might of City’s midfield.

Gundgo-gone

An interesting alteration at City over the summer has been the departure to Barcelona of experienced midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, a key man in the closing stages last term.

The new recruit in that position is Mateo Kovacic, brought in from Chelsea, with City having opted to end their interest in signing Rice after bids reached a certain point.

Kevin De Bruyne proved last season he is one of the best players in Europe while John Stones has also been operating in a midfield role and Rodri – who hit the winner in the Champions League final win – is also a class act.

Eddie ready to go?

While the Community Shield is often referred to as the ‘curtain-raiser’ for the new league season – for Arsenal this is more of a dress rehearsal of their title ambitions.

They will have to perform, however, without first-choice striker and former City man Gabriel Jesus, who underwent minor surgery to address irritation from a more serious knee operation earlier in the year.

It means Arteta has a decision to make as to who leads the line at Wembley, with Eddie Nketiah the likely favourite – although he is without a competitive goal in 14 games, a run that stretches back to January and almost 10 hours of football.

Supporting the Jeff Astle Foundation

The funds raised by the Community Shield have been used to support plenty of causes in the past and this year the Football Association has announced the Jeff Astle Foundation will be one of the main beneficiaries.

Astle, who played for England and won the FA Cup with West Brom, died in 2002 and had been diagnosed with early-onset dementia.

The Jeff Astle Foundation was created in his memory and raises awareness of the impact caused by concussion in football, while also providing support to former players who suffer with dementia.

Eddie Nketiah is relishing the prospect of starting the new season as Arsenal’s main striker and insists manager Mikel Arteta knows he can deliver the goods.

England’s record goalscorer at under-21 level is likely to lead the line for the Gunners when the campaign gets under way after fellow forward Gabriel Jesus was ruled out.

Jesus recently underwent a minor operation on a knee issue he has had since picking up an injury while with Brazil at the 2022 World Cup.

The initial surgery sidelined him for three months but Nketiah stepped up in his absence and hit six goals in six games when domestic football returned.

His goals helped keep Arsenal at the top of the Premier League until Jesus’ return and he is ready to repeat the feat.

“I don’t think I’m here to fill in for anyone. I’m here to play and contribute to the team,” he said after captaining Arsenal and scoring in a 1-1 Emirates Cup draw with Monaco on Wednesday night.

“Obviously, I believe in my abilities and I know I can contribute. The manager has got a tough decision and whenever he calls me, he knows I can deliver and I can help the team, so it’s just about us all collectively playing our part to to achieve our goals.

“I just really enjoyed it and was able to improve myself, test myself, I played some really big games and I was able to help.

“So that’s what it is about, obviously playing at the highest level, competing for trophies and that’s what I want to do.

“I pride myself on always being ready and whatever role the manager needs me – I will always make sure I do my best and to the best of my ability so I can help the team – that’s what it’s all about.”

Despite hitting a purple patch when he first came into the team after the World Cup, Nketiah has not scored a competitive goal since his last-gasp winner against Manchester United on January 22, a run of 14 games and nearly 10 hours without finding the back of the net.

The 24-year-old, however, is ready for the pressure of starting the season as the man up top for Arteta’s side.

Asked if he was relishing the challenge amid added expectation on the whole team, Nketiah replied: “Yes, of course. It’s what we play football for.

“We train hard every day to get the opportunity to play at the weekend. So not just myself, there’s many players that can obviously play in that position.

“So we’re all ready, we’re all good players, we’re all able to contribute at different points in the season, everyone’s going to have different roles. So it’s just about being ready and contribute and hopefully I can do that throughout the season.”

Arsenal’s Premier League title tilt gets under way at home to Nottingham Forest next weekend but, before then, Nketiah is aiming for Community Shield success against last season’s treble winners Manchester City.

“We want do well, we want to go out there and win the trophy, that’s what it’s about,” he added.

“So we will be working hard throughout the week and we’ve had a good game against Monaco, so hopefully that can put us in good stead, make sure we compete and hopefully we can get a trophy on Sunday.”

Gabriel Jesus will miss the start of the Premier League campaign after Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta confirmed the forward has undergone a minor operation.

The Brazil international missed three months of last season after suffering a knee injury at the World Cup.

Jesus impressed following his move from Manchester City last summer but now faces a short spell on the sidelines after going under the knife after “irritation” with the original knee issue.

“Unfortunately, he had a little procedure this morning,” Arteta said after Arsenal’s penalty shoot-out win over Monaco in the Emirates Cup.

“He had some discomfort in his knee that has been causing some issues and they had to go in and resolve it. It is not something major but he looks to be out for a few weeks I think.

“It is a big blow because we had him back to his best, especially the way he played against Barcelona, and he was in good condition and we lost him.

“But he has been feeling some discomfort in the last few weeks and we had to look at it, we had to make a decision and the best one is to protect the player and get him back as quick as possible so we decided to do it.

“It is something related to the previous injury that he had and the surgery. He had some irritation in the knee and we had to get it resolved.”

A bronze statue of former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger lifting the Premier League trophy has been unveiled outside the Emirates Stadium.

Wenger won three top-flight titles and the FA Cup on seven occasions while in charge of the Gunners between October 1996 and May 2018.

The Frenchman managed 1,235 matches during his time in north London and helped the club go unbeaten in the league during their 2004 title success.

Arsenal also spent 20 successive seasons in the Champions League under Wenger, including reaching the 2006 final, where they were beaten 2-1 by Barcelona.

The 3.5-metre statue of the 73-year-old, created by award-winning sculptor Jim Guy, was fixed into position outside the North Bank Stand on Friday morning.

Arsenal executive vice-chairman Tim Lewis told the Gunners’ website: “We’re delighted to recognise and celebrate Arsene Wenger’s outstanding leadership and career at Arsenal Football Club.

“Arsene’s contribution to, and achievements with, the club mark him out as the club’s greatest manager.

“He treated the club and its supporters to many trophies and fantastic memories and brought a revolution in the running of the club, an unbeaten season and the move to Emirates Stadium.

“It is fitting, therefore, that as a mark of the club’s enduring respect and gratitude a magnificent statue of Arsene now stands outside Emirates Stadium.”

Wenger will be the club’s guest of honour for the Emirates Cup match against Monaco on Wednesday and is due to visit the statue in the coming days.

His statue joins five others – featuring Tony Adams, Dennis Bergkamp, Herbert Chapman, Ken Friar and Thierry Henry – on the podium around the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, who was signed by Wenger in 2011, said: “It’s such a great tribute that the club has done something special for Arsene that he fully deserves and merits.

“With a statue now at the stadium, Arsene can have that recognition and be here at our club forever.

“He chose me to be one of his players and selected me to be the captain of the club and that’s something I will never forget.”

Declan Rice is aiming for Premier League and Champions League glory at Arsenal, insisting he will take his £105million price tag in his stride.

The England midfielder joined from London rivals West Ham earlier this month after the two clubs negotiated how the record payment for a British player in the Premier League would be broken down.

Now Rice is in the United States, having joined his new team-mates to prepare for the upcoming campaign, with the Gunners aiming to go one better than their second-placed finish last season.

Mikel Arteta’s side will also return to the top table of European football for the first time since 2017 and Rice is hungry for success, having lifted the Europa Conference League trophy in his final game as West Ham skipper.

“I think it’s time now. You know Arsenal under Mikel have won Community Shields, FA Cups, but I think now, this is a massive club, it’s constant pressure of delivering titles and it’s been such a long time now since Arsenal won the Premier League,” Rice told Sky Sports News.

“Last year was so close, I feel like we’re better off now this year, learning from that experience. I think that’s definitely a target and of course you’re in the Champions League, you go into the Champions League to win, you don’t go into (it) just to take part.

“There’s always a narrative around Arsenal that they’re not going to win the Premier League or they haven’t been good enough.

“But I didn’t see it in that way at all. I see it in a way that he (Arteta) has improved the squad every year. The players have improved individually. Everyone’s gone up another level and when I spoke to Mikel about the way he wanted me to play, where he sees me playing and the vision he has for Arsenal.

“For me it is really exciting now to be a part of this project that Arsenal can get back to the big time and win some trophies.”

Rice’s arrival at the Emirates Stadium has eclipsed Arsenal’s previous transfer record – the signing of Nicolas Pepe from Lille for £72m – and will see West Ham receive a guaranteed £100m, with a potential £5m in add-ons.

The 24-year-old believes it is unfair he will carry increased expectations because of his price tag but insists he will not be weighed down by it.

“I just try to take everything in my stride. I can’t control what I’ve been bought for, that’s obviously been determined on how well I’ve played consistently over the last couple years,” he added.

“West Ham have obviously set that price, I tried to take it all of my stride, I’ve not really thought about the price tag once. I’ve been brought to Arsenal for a reason and that is to perform, to play football. To try and add to the squad, to try and win trophies.

“I’m not going to get involved in price tags. Of course people have always got opinions, you can’t please everybody. Someone’s always got something to say, but what’s important is that the manager, you know you’ve got his support, you’ve got family support, people that are close to you, that’s all that matters.

“I won’t try to think about that too much and to be honest with you, I haven’t. It’s football. A lot of players have been bought for £80, £90, £100million. It’s our profession. It’s just down to us to perform. So over the six years (of his contract), hopefully I can repay that price tag.”