Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice insists the club’s push for the Premier League title this season is no accident, but the result of years of careful planning behind the scenes.
The Gunners are enjoying an impressive 2025/26 campaign, sitting top of the Premier League after 20 matches, while also reaching the Champions League knockout stage and the semi-finals of the EFL Cup.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Rice pointed to unity within the squad and belief in manager Mikel Arteta as key factors behind Arsenal’s strong form.
“I think we’re in the position we’re in because we have amazing players, we have an incredible manager, and we have a team that’s fully buying into what the manager wants.
We’re going out on the pitch at the minute and things are falling into place. In football, when you’ve got that feeling, there’s no better feeling than winning matches.
Rice also highlighted the positive atmosphere around the club this season.
You can either go home deflated or buzzing after a weekend, and this training ground has been buzzing since the start of the season. There’s been a really good vibe and real energy around the place.
The England international believes Arsenal’s ability to quickly integrate new signings has also played a major role.
“If you look at it, top of the Premier League, top of the Champions League group, and in the Carabao Cup semi-final ; usually when you bring in seven or eight players, it’s hard to embed them all at once.
“But we’ve done so well as a group, with the manager and everyone pulling together to make them feel comfortable as quickly as possible.”
With momentum building on multiple fronts, Arsenal will be hoping their strong start can translate into silverware by the end of the season.