Arteta anticipates Arsenal’s Rice to make a delightful comeback at West Ham
Published on: October 31, 2023.
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is anticipating a “beautiful” reunion for midfielder Declan Rice as he returns to his former club West Ham for a League Cup clash on Wednesday.
After leaving the London Stadium for a £105 million ($128 million) move across London to join the Gunners in the close season, Rice is set to face his former team for the first time.
Last season, Rice led West Ham to victory in the Europa Conference League final, capping off his tenure with the club where he had been since the age of 14.
Former players often face hostile receptions when returning to their former clubs, with Frank Lampard enduring years of abuse after his switch to Chelsea and Paul Ince facing criticism following his move to Manchester United.
However, Arteta expressed confidence that Rice would be greeted warmly on his return to West Ham.
“It will be his first time back at his old club and a beautiful moment for him, I think,” Arteta said on Tuesday.
“It is a beautiful experience. I have had the chance to do it a few times and you really get to understand what they think of you and the impact you had at the club.”
Arteta indicated that Rice would likely feature in some capacity in the fourth-round match, but acknowledged the need to rotate players during a demanding schedule of Premier League and Champions League fixtures.
“Whenever he talks about West Ham and what they did for him and everyone at the club, he has nothing but high praise, so hopefully they will show the same respect towards him,” he added.
Source: [Zawya](https://www.zawya.com)
