Martin Odegaard reveals first impressions of new signing Declan Rice
- Martin Odegaard speaks about Declan Rice arrival
- Gunners skipper reveals how he welcomes new signing
- Rice cost British record fee of £105m from West Ham
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has hailed Declan Rice as a 'leader' following his arrival from West Ham United.
Rice was signed by the Gunners for a British record £105m this July, becoming part of Mikel Arteta's side's £215m spending spree during the current transfer window - having also signed Jurrien Timber for £40m and Kai Havertz for £65m
The dynamic midfielder took part in his first training sessions as an Arsenal player this week and looks set to make his first appearance for the club when they take on MLS All-Stars in Washington D.C. on Thursday.
Speaking to Football.London about his first impressions of Rice in training, club captain Odegaard admitted that he is thoroughly impressed by his new midfield cohort.
"Every time I played against him I saw the quality. He’s a leader as well so it’s great for me to work together and hopefully we can help each other a lot," the Norwegian said.
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"Every time I played him it was a tough one. We had some tough battles so I'm happy to have him on the team and hopefully we can find a good connection very quickly."
Odegaard also discussed how, as club captain, he's been welcoming new signings to the club.
"I try to speak to them to see if they need something or if I need to explain something to them on the pitch about how we do things. Just making sure that they feel welcome and to help them understand our game model," he explained.
"I think when players come in it can be tricky to understand everything we do so just helping them with small things but I think this team is great at welcoming new players. We’re like a family, we’re really together. I feel like they’re happy and part of the team and the family already."
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