Guimaraes learning a lot from 'machine' Rice at Arsenal
Bruno Guimaraes says Declan Rice has made him feel at home at Arsenal, describing his midfield partner as “a machine” and a player he is learning from every day.
Guimaraes joined Arsenal from Newcastle United in August for a reported £75m and has shown promising signs of building a strong partnership with Rice. The Brazilian has made 14 appearances in all competitions since his arrival.
The welcome began before he joined. Speaking to ESPN Brazil, Guimaraes recalled the message Rice sent him once the move was all but settled.
“He sent me a message right away saying: ‘We've had a lot of fights in the past, but now we're friends – we're going to play together. I'm really happy you're coming here. You're going to really raise the level of our team’.
“So, he was a guy who had already won me over even before I arrived. We know – I'd say he's a complete player; he's a machine on the field.”
“I'm learning from him – learning a lot from him – since he's a very technical player.”
Guimaraes also marvelled at Rice's stamina: “He can run, I don't know, 22 kilometres in a game without stopping for a second. I was really happy.”
That admiration extends to the midfield as a whole. “I think we have one of the best midfields in Europe here,” he said. “Yes – given the number of players we have – and anyway, I think Declan is a guy who's been helping me a lot; I felt right at home.”
Rice has also hinted that he will soon sign a new Arsenal deal. His partnership with Guimaraes is developing with the club top of the Premier League heading into the international break, having leapfrogged Manchester City with a 1-0 win over Hull City.
Arsenal's season has included an EFL Cup exit to League Two side Fleetwood Town, but they remain unbeaten at the halfway stage of the Champions League's league phase.
For Guimaraes, the next step is to keep adapting to Mikel Arteta's approach after nearly five years at Newcastle.
“I'm happy here; I'm starting my journey here as well,” he added.
“I think I'm increasingly understanding Arteta's approach – which is completely different from what I was used to doing at Newcastle – and I'm adapting more and more, getting to know the new players better.
“It's not easy to switch clubs after nearly five years, when you were already completely used to the routine, to everything. But I think this is a huge challenge, and I'm ready for it.”
