That has become a hallmark of Rice’s Arsenal career thus far, too. Martin Odegaard is the Gunners’ captain, with Bukayo Saka his vice, but when both were missing this past season due to injury – or, in Odegaard’s case, rotation – Rice was nominated to take the armband by his team-mates.
“They made the decision because Declan has earned the status, the role, the way he’s taken ownership in difficult moments,” Mikel Arteta said in April. “He’s a great leader, he’s a top player for us, and I love that the players take that ownership.”
It was an honour Rice earned, in part due to his remarkable ability to remain fit through a gruelling campaign. In 2025-26, he played 36 matches in the Premier League, starting 35, and logged almost 3,100 minutes. Only David Raya played more for the title winners.
“I’m shattered, it’s non-stop,” Rice told TNT Sports in April. “We’re in all the competitions still, so it’s been every three days since October. We deal with it best we can but it’s difficult. We find ways to win and it’s all good. Everyone asks where I get my energy from. I just get this second burst of energy.”
That testing schdule eventually proved too much for Martin Zubimendi as the summer signing from Real Sociedad began to falter towards the end of the season. Rice, though, kept going and adapted his role even further. Arsenal might have been frustratingly conservative at times, but Rice was often outnumbered in midfield, yet he was never truly outplayed.
“(Arteta) just turned me into a more (all-round) midfielder, in terms of someone who can do a little bit of everything,” Rice said. “I heard Steven Gerrard talk about when he played, he (saw) himself as a midfielder that could do a little bit of everything. I kind of say the same. I can do a little bit of attack, a little bit of defending.”
