Declan Rice signing must change Arsenal expectations for Mikel Arteta

Declan Rice is officially an Arsenal player, so now it’s time to increase expectations for manager Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal’s deal for Declan Rice was finally confirmed on Saturday, July 15, shattering the club’s transfer record in the process. The Gunners have paid as much as £105 million to snag the linchpin of West Ham’s midfield, largely on Arteta’s say-so.

It’s yet another show of faith in a manager who’s so far delivered little more than snappy soundbites and the promise of more to come. The timeframe for Arteta’s project to come to fruition has to be brought forward after Rice was added to the list of deals that include Kai Havertz from Chelsea and Ajax defender Jurrien Timber.

Mikel Arteta’s Spending Demands Major Results

Arsenal’s spending under Arteta has reached astronomical levels, per figures from The Daily Telegraph’s Sam Dean.

Spending on that level demands major trophies in return. Or else, why do it?

Arteta hasn’t delivered a major trophy since winning the FA Cup in 2020, and last season’s ultimately limp finish to the Premier League title race was scant reward for all the cash spent since that maiden success.

Any manager who spends on the level Arteta has naturally ratchets up expectations.

At least, that would be the norm, but things have been different for Arsenal’s chosen one. Many fans and those in the media are content to kick entry to the promised land further and further down the road.

Instead, praise has tended to focus more on things like restoring unity and resetting culture. Intangible yet important things that can’t be measured in the brass tacks of points and trophies.

Focusing on intangibles also keeps people from demanding more, but Arteta’s been backed in a way few other Arsenal managers have experienced.

Arsenal have fully backed Mikel Arteta’s Vision

Arteta is getting everything he wants since he replaced Unai Emery in December 2019. The Arsenal boss is front and centre as the driving force behind the Rice deal, per Fabrizio Romano.

Rice has been described by The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell and Roshane Thomas as “everything” to Arteta:

"“Those inside the club had repeated for months that it could not be overstated how central he was to the Arsenal manager’s vision. Without him, Arteta’s plan to take his team to the next level in the fourth year of his reign simply did not add up.”"

Arteta has to face criticism if Rice doesn’t make the grade.

As Art de Roche of The Athletic also pointed out, signing Rice represents a change in Arsenal’s transfer strategy:

"“A number of factors have been clear with the evolution of their recruitment strategy over the past two summers. Moving from ‘Project Youth 2.0’ going into the 2021-22 season to signing experienced players in their mid-twenties this time last year was key to Arsenal raising their level.”"

The change is either the evolution of a coherent plan or a manager chopping and changing until he gets things right. Having the time and money to try different approaches and see what sticks is a luxury most managers never get to enjoy.

Emery barely got 18 months to implement his ideas, despite people like Sven Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi making his transfers for him. Arteta has called his own shot.

Arsene Wenger was pilloried for “only” finishing in the top four, despite trying to compete while having to balance the books on a relative budget. Arteta has spent a fortune without winning silverware for three seasons, yet he’s revered.

Part of the praise is justified. Arteta deserves credit for restoring the artful, cavalier swagger to the way Arsenal play. He also can never be accused of ducking a decision.

Those are laudable qualities, but Arsenal need more than hype and promise. If somebody touted as one of the best young coaches in the world is outspending rivals in the richest league, then winning the domestic title or UEFA Champions League now becomes the minimum requirement.