While most Arsenal players were glued to their screens at London Colney, watching the final moments of the title race, Declan Rice adopted a distinctly personal strategy. The midfielder disclosed that the tension became so unbearable during Manchester City’s crucial match against Bournemouth that he chose to take a prolonged walk around the training grounds to maintain his composure.

“I grabbed the security guard, Pete, and for the first 40 minutes, we just walked around every single pitch. We were just talking about anything and everything,” Rice recounted. “Then we heard the roar, so we came back for the first goal. I thought, ‘Here we go again.’ On the way back, I promised myself I’d tell everyone to stay put. We came back with five minutes left, it was done, but I still couldn’t bring myself to watch.”

His teammate, Bukayo Saka, found the scene “ridiculous,” explaining, “He must have done a dozen laps of the training pitch. We were all watching the game on TV. He just couldn’t watch it. It was hilarious.”

Signed by Arsenal in 2023, Rice described the Premier League victory as an “unbelievably emotional” moment, marking the end of a 22-year wait for the club. He praised the journey of Saka, who has been with the club since childhood: “He’s been here since the beginning, since he was six or seven years old. Imagine how he feels; this is proper Arsenal, now.” Rice elaborated, “It’s emotional. It’s been 22 years we’ve been waiting for this. He’s been here since the beginning. He’s a true academy product, since he was six or seven, I think. So for him, God knows how he feels because for me, he’s a true Arsenal legend.”

“As for myself, I’ve been here for three years and experienced three narrowly lost finals. So, to win it today with this group is exactly why I came. I knew we would achieve it. I just felt it. I had a good feeling about this club, these players, and the trajectory they were on. I knew we would eventually get there, and it happened in the most beautiful way.”